


Bad Behavior

by Nekonsor



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akashi is possessive, Alternate Universe - Prison, Aomine is worrywart, Aslan is Kuroko's God, Consensual Sex, Depression, Drama, Drug Use, Dubious Consent, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hallucinations, Heartless Author, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I don't hate any of the characters, I'm Sorry, Imaginary Friends, Insanity, Kise is an idiot, Kuroko is losing his mind, Love Confessions, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Shit hits the fan more than once, Slow Build, Smoking, Smut, Suicide, Swearing, There are going to be loads of triggers, but sometimes you need asshats, inspired by OITNB and stories from prison, mainly Akakuro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-06 20:13:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 61,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4235091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nekonsor/pseuds/Nekonsor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love can lead to many things. In Kuroko Tetsuya's case, love made him sit fifteen years in prison. This is his story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let him breathe

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for writing this. But I love this story so much, that I really need to share with you. I've spent weeks on the first chapter because I kept changing things, POVs and now I ended up going with third person. The flashbacks are always from the first person view so, it might be a little confusing. But I felt like I wanted to do it that way, so you've been warned. I've done a bunch of research for this story. I've tried to make the sentences believable. And believe me; some of the things I've encountered had me go what the fuck is going on in these countries. But just because it doesn't sound believable, doesn't make it any more true. This is also just a fiction, so please give me a break. Also, I do not have a beta reader, english is not my mother language so there might be spelling errors and grammar errors. You might want to point them out so that I can make the story more enjoyable to you. Thank you for choosing this story. You may fasten your seatbelts and I hope you enjoy the ride.

Kuroko sat across a good looking, young man who was leaning back in his chair. There was a sign on his desk that read, Midorima Shintaro, MSW. On the corner of his desk laid a miniature merry-go-round that just wouldn't shut up. It had a silent, cheery melody that was driving the bluenette on edge. Midorima had Kuroko's paperwork spread out on the desk in front of him. The green-haired man had done this many times before, only with different people. Kuroko looked up from Midorima's desk and stared into his piercing green eyes.

"Kuroko Tetsuya. How are you doing?" Midorima asked, not taking his eyes away from the smaller boy in front of him.

"Fine," Kuroko simply answered. "I guess."

"Are you sure you're fine?"

Kuroko blinked slowly. "If you want me to speak truthfully, I must change my answer," he admitted and fiddled with his fingers. Kuroko was nervous, but he didn't want to show it to Midorima.

Midorima stared at Kuroko, contemplating what to say. It was eerily quiet inside the office, except for Midorima's lucky item, which happened to be the merry-go-round. "You will be fine eventually."

"Okay."

"I'm Midorima Shintaro. I will be your counselor. I also provide all the inmates their daily Oha-Asa horoscopes if they are interested," Midorima introduced himself, not offering a hand to shake. It was understandable, at least Kuroko liked to think it was. Midorima started to leaf through Kuroko's files once more. "Pretty big case for a young man. Criminal conspiracy and accessory to murder."

Kuroko sat a little bit straighter in his seat. "That’s how they charged me. I hacked into the Federal Bureau of Investigation because I needed to save my... Friend. It happened only once."

Midorima fixed his glasses once the merry-go-round finally stopped playing it's melody. It didn't take long for him to re-start it. "You were getting rid of the evidence that the FBI had collected on your friend?" he confirmed.

"Yes. Ten years for hacking into the FBI files and five years for accessory to murder," Kuroko confirmed with a slight scowl on his lips. If the bluenette had known he would be charged this badly, he would have never even considered doing it.

"And here you are," Midorima sighed and started organizing Kuroko's papers into a neat pile. "In a little bit, I’ll have them take you up to the camp," he said and continued with, "Are you going to barf? Tell me, if you’re going to barf. There’s a can right behind you."

"No, I'm not going to barf."

"I will be truly displeased if you barf anywhere but in the can."

Kuroko resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I told you already. Not. Going. To barf."

Midorima nodded and put Kuroko's files away. "There is something I will have to tell you before they will take you down."

Kuroko tilted his head curiously. There was a tint of pink adoring Midorima's cheeks. Kuroko thought it might just be a trick of light. To him, Midorima seemed like a person who doesn't blush all that much. The silence stretched and Kuroko kept staring at his counselor. Midorima coughed, making sure that his voice didn't flater when he said, "There are... Homosexuals in our prison."

Kuroko let out a small sigh of relief. He thought it was going to be something worse. It's not like Kuroko wasn't experienced in that section back in his teenage years. Before Kuroko could say anything, Midorima continued, "They’re not going to bother you. Some will try to be your friend, just stay away from them. I want you to understand, you do not have to have gay sex with anyone."

"I have a fiance. Her name is Satsuki," Kuroko spoke quickly with reassuring tone. "She's a teacher in a kindergarten. When will she able to visit me at the earliest?" he asked, noticing that Midorima seemed uncomfortable with the current topic. Kuroko's best bet was to direct the conversation somewhere else.

"Anyone who is in your PSI is cleared to visit. She can come this weekend. I’ll make sure the list is in the visiting room."

"Thank you."

Midorima stood up, pointing towards the door behind Kuroko. "I will see you at camp. And remember: Nothing goes on there that I don’t know about."

 

* * *

 

_"You know everything about me! I tell you everything! How did I not know about this!?" Satsuki yelled and threw a stack of papers into my chest. "I told you when I had that webcam accident with that old bully! I even told you-"_

_"How was I supposed to tell you?" I asked calmly, even though I felt like my insides were on fire. "It just happened. It happened before we had even started dating. It was three years ago. I can't just go and admit that I have assisted someone in a murder. I can’t believe he did this to me."_

_"I can’t believe YOU did this! Who are you? I feel like I’m in some sick movie. Have you killed someone on top of this?"_

_"No, I haven't," I slumped down onto the couch and buried my face into hands. "I was only 20 years old. I thought I was in love. I wanted to help him and it all went smoothly, no one knew that I had hacked into the goddamn Federal Bureau of Investigation and Mayuzumi got away. I was able to extend his freedom for three years. And then he did this to me."_

_Satsuki slid down to sit next to me and carefully started to rub my back. "I'm sorry. I overreacted. It's okay. We can do this. I can call my dad and we'll solve this together. He is a good lawyer."_

_"He hates me."_

_"Yeah, well. I love you. And he loves me, so, here we go."_

 

* * *

 

Kuroko walked towards a white transport van and carefully climbed in. He looked at the driver who was wearing the same kind of ugly stadium coat as Kuroko was. The only difference was, that Kuroko's coat was so big he was nearly drowning in it. Midorima had said that Kuroko could get a smaller one from the prison's laundry room. Kuroko shivered from the cold and proceeded to fight with the zipper that just wouldn't cooperate with him. He tried not to show any aggression towards the zipper, but the driver noticed it anyways since he tried to strike up a conversation with Kuroko.

"The zippers are usually broken in those coats. First time down?" he asked and turned to look at Kuroko with curious brown eyes that had a tint of yellow to them.

Kuroko looked up at the blonde behind the wheel and nodded. "You mean first time in prison? Then it's a yes."

"It’s not so bad. Everyone’s okay, but you gotta watch out for the stealing," he said and turned his attention to a guard who took the seat next to the driver. "Hey Imayoshi. Is this bluenette all we got today?" he asked and smiled brightly.

"Yeah. Let's head down," the guard said and stretched his arms.

Kuroko blinked in confusion. "Wait. Aren't you a... Prisoner too? Why do they let you drive?" he asked when the driver started the engine. He was wearing the same coat as Kuroko did, so he assumed that the driver is also a prisoner too.

"Inmate. We are called inmates around here. And well, who else is gonna do it? We do everything around here, isn't that right, Imayoshi?" he smiled brightly at the guard on his left side. "My name is Kise Ryota. We use last names around here. What's yours, newbie? How long is your sentence? In months, I mean."

"Kuroko Tetsuya," Kuroko mumbled quietly and he held onto to his laundry basket the bluenette was given before he stepped into the van. "180 months," Kuroko answered in a much quieter tone. Kise was shocked by this new piece of information.

"What did you do? You look so kind! You don't look like a bad person."

Imayoshi smacked Kise gently around the head. "Give him a break. You know how your first day here was. Ask him later."

At that moment, Kuroko was extremely grateful.

 

* * *

 

The drive felt like an eternity when in reality it only took ten minutes. Kuroko hugged the laundry basket tightly to his chest as he climbed out of the van. The three story cinder block building in front of Kuroko looked terrifying, cold and not at all inviting. The prison fence was at least seven meters high and the top of it was coated in with barbed wire. Kuroko took a deep breath and followed Kise, avoiding all the other inmates who kept glaring as they went past them. "Kise-kun?" Kuroko quietly yelped and tried to keep up with Kise's long legs.

"Yeah?" the blonde asked and turned to look at Kuroko with a smile. Kise was bright thing to look at in the prison, since everything else seemed so gloomy.

"Why do these people stare at me?"

Kise started laughing loudly. "You're fresh meat. Like, literally fresh. You've never been here before. They are curious. They might even think you as a threat. Some people who come here think they are hot stuff and well, we have this hierarchy around here. You'll learn all about it eventually," he explained in a cheerful voice. Kise had been here for some time already so he knew how things worked around here. "Let's get inside, it's cold out here," Kise complained and opened a door for Kuroko. Kuroko stepped into the main hall cautiously, watching inmates walking past him and Kise. "You smoke?" Kise suddenly asked as he guided Kuroko through the maze of corridors.

"No, it's not my thing."

"Good for you. Technically, we're not allowed to smoke here but there are ways to circle around that rule a little. Aominecchi and Akashicchi might know more about that since I don't really smoke..." Kise babbled and started pointing doors and rooms as they walked through the corridor. "There's the dining hall. TV room. That's the CO's office. Kiyoshi is currently inside. He's okay. Who you got?"

"Midorima-kun."

"Oh."

"What?" Kuroko asked in confusion. Was there something wrong with having Midorima?

"Oh, nothing. He's fine. I just don't know if he has any empathy. I had him for the first two months and it didn't really work out with me. I think he hates me," Kise explained and scratched the back of his head. Kise remembered their last talking session. "He almost threw Shigaraki Yaki Tanuki at me."

To be honest, Kuroko had that kind of feeling from Midorima also, but somehow he was sure they'd get along just fine. The bluenette wasn't quite sure how things would turn out for him, but Midorima felt like a good person. "Right."

"Kise-chin? Who are ya talking to?"

Kuroko nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a lazy voice from behind him. He turned around and stared at a nearly two meter tall giant. How did he not hear him approaching? Kuroko suddenly felt extremely hungry watching the man eating a chocolate bar. It had been a long time since he got to eat anything. It was probably yesterday since Kuroko couldn't stomach anything in the morning.

Kise broke into a cheeky grin. "Murasakibaracchi! This is Kuroko Tetsuya," he explained and pointed at him. "He's our newbie so I'm giving him a quick tour. Get this, he got 180 months! Oh yeah, that's Murasakibara Atsushi."

Murasakibara just stared and munched on his chocolate bar. To him, touring seemed like a boring and unnecessary thing to do. "Sounds boring. Good luck showing him around."

"Pleased to meet you," Kuroko managed to say before Kise dragged him onwards. "I can walk on my own, Kise-kun," Kuroko informed this enthusiastic blonde and then they slowed down a little bit.

"Sorry, I just get a little bit carried away sometimes. Anywho, here's some more offices. Rooms are up here, dorms are down there. You are not allowed down there. It’s out of bounds for you until you get assigned there. You understand?" Kise explained, not wanting Kuroko to get trouble on his first week.

"I can understand english quite well, thank you."

Kise chuckled and opened a door to their left. "Alright, this is yours," he said and pushed Kuroko gently inside. Kuroko looked at the room with three sets of bunk beds and six waist-high metal lockers. Everywhere were hangers with clothes and towels and string bags hanging off them. It was a lot like a barracks. In one of the bunks lied a man with dark hair and it was styled into cornrows. There was also another man sitting on top of the metal lockers. He also had dark hair, but his eyes were silvery blue and he had some loose hair strands hanging in front of his eyes.

"Hey, Takao, this is Kuroko. He’s new. 180 months. You show him what’s what?" Kise blurted out and pointed towards the man at the bunk. "Haizaki, hands off from Kuroko, alright? You heard what I said. He is new," Kise warned him, but he only got a grunt as a response. Kise was annoyed by Haizaki's antics. He didn't know if it was really safe to leave Kuroko around Haizaki. "I'm keeping my eyes on you, Haizaki."

Takao grinned widely and approached Kuroko in a friendly manner. He gave the bluenette a one-handed hug and guided him towards one of the empty bunks. "I suggest you to take the top one. There was this time when the top bunk crashed down and the guy sleeping below died from it. They are pretty heavy. I swear, there was blood everywhere."

Kuroko wanted to have that Midorima's barf can right here and now, no complaints. "Sure. Yes. The top bunk."

Kise walked into the room properly and gave Kuroko a packet of tissues and a toothbrush. "Tissues are for the night. Even if you are a guy, it can be hard some times. The first night I mean. And take care of that toothbrush, they don't give them here regularly. I have to go now since I have work to do, but Takao will take care of you. I'll see you at dinner, I think."

And with that he was gone. Kuroko stared at the two objects his hands. Kuroko made a promise not to cry.

"Kise is right. What was your name again?" Takao asked as Kuroko threw his laundry basket on top of the bunk.

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Right. I'm Takao Kazunari, you probably already know that we go here by last names. Only exception to this is Akashi who address us like he wants. You do not want to anger him, heed my word. Anyway, that'll be your locker," Takao said and pointed at the one near Kuroko's new bed. "Haizaki has been keeping stuff there but he **will** empty it for you," he told Kuroko, giving Haizaki a hard glare. "He came back from SHU a week ago. He was there for an entire month. That's why he's back into rooms."

"SHU?" Kuroko asked, not knowing what it meant.

"Solitary," Haizaki informed from the bunk. He stood up to stretch his limbs. "But I guess with you having 180 months, SHU is going to be your destination one of these days. Take enough shots and off you go."

"Why were you in there?" Kuroko asked out of sheer curiosity. He also really needed to know how to avoid going there if it really was as bad as they said it was.

"I didn't want to shovel snow. Told a C.O. to kiss my ass," Haizaki said with a wide grin on his face. It seemed like he didn't regret any of it. "I still don't know if it was worth it."

"You're dumb. Yesterday you said it was totally worth it," Takao scowled lightly. "Anyways, Kuroko, do you know about the count yet?"

"No, I do not know about it. I have literally been down here for an hour with Kise-kun. He just showed me around real quick."

Takao understood and pointed at the clock on their wall. "The count. They count us five times a day and you have to be here, or wherever you’re supposed to be, and the four o’clock count is a standing count. Two A.M., five A.M. are midnight counts, nine A.M, and nine P.M. Did they give you a PAC number?"

Kuroko was drowning in this all information. Before the old ones sank in, the new information was already being dumped on him. Half of 'the count' just flew over his head even though Kuroko considered himself highly intelligent - as in, bookwise. The bluenette wondered how many times he was going screw up just because the information was coming too fast. "PAC number?"

Haizaki rolled his eyes. "I hate newbies," he grumbled and plopped a candy to his mouth

Takao shot an ugly glare in Haizaki's direction and turned to Kuroko with a carefree grin. He was as bright as Kise. "You need a PAC number to make phone calls. You need to fill out a phone sheet and it’s gotta go through the whole rigmarole. Dinner’s after the four o’clock count, which is soon."

Kuroko heaved a long sigh. "Okay, I think I got it. I think I can ask Midorima-kun for that PAC number," I said with a nod. That's what he was for, right?

"No way! Do you have Shin-chan as your counselor? We share him then. He's a really cool guy. Seems a little bit weird, but he's actually a lot better than Kiyoshi. Shin-chan puts daily Oha Asa horoscopes on the billboard. I don't really understand the fuss but there we can see what are our lucky items and how good our-"

"I know what Oha Asa is," Kuroko quickly interrupted and tried to smile politely. He never quite understood why people believed in horoscopes. Takao was almost worse than Kise; he didn't know which one of them might be more tolerable. To Kuroko's eyes, Haizaki seemed actually quite tolerable; he was rather quiet, at least for now.

**"Count time! Count time! Count time, gentlemen!"**

Kuroko jumped a little and noticed Takao pointing at the red glowing light on top of their doorway. "See the red light? There are more in the hallways and basically everywhere. That light comes on, you need to be where you’re supposed to be, and you don’t move until it goes off," he explained, used to the sudden commotion.  
Two men came rushing into the room and Takao made Kuroko stand in front of his bunk. "Kuroko, may I introduce you to Aomine Daiki and Mibuchi Reo. They are sleeping in those bunks over there. Guys, this is Kuroko Tetsuya. Fresh meat. 180 months.

"Why do you keep telling how much-"

"Shush," the girly-looking man, Mibuchi, silenced everyone when he heard the noise of boots and jangling keys coming down the hall. Everyone stood beside their beds and suddenly Kuroko felt like he was going to faint. He really needed to drink or eat something. Suddenly a red-haired man stuck his head into the room and made a quick count with a clicker. He then moved on.

"So, I was aski-"

"Wait," Aomine mumbled quietly with a bored tone. He didn't even spare a glance at Kuroko's direction.

Suddenly another head poked in. Kuroko recognized him easily. He was sitting next to Kise in the van. Imayoshi. He took a lot more time counting us with his clicker and then moved into the next room. It all made perfect sense. They were just double-checking. Aomine and Mibuchi flopped down on their beds and Takao visibly relaxed.

"So, we eat at four thirty?" Kuroko asked, wanting to be sure. He carefully climbed onto his bed, noticing that the bed had already been made for him.

Aomine shook his head. "That's when people start eating. We're called down in order. Honor cubes, then dorms in order of how well they did on inspection. Rooms always last. We never do good on inspection," he explained in a way that Kuroko could easily understand. Although, Kuroko really wanted to ask what honor cubes were.

**"RECOUNT, GENTLEMEN!"**

Aomine groaned from his bed and stood up again, taking a place beside his bed. "How hard is it to fucking count?!"

"They always screw it up," Mibuchi explained because he had noticed Kuroko's bewildered expression, "the redhead, Kagami Taiga, is always careless," he continued as Kuroko climbed down from his bunk. Mibuchi followed Kuroko with his eyes. "I'm interested, though. What did you do to get all those years of pure pleasure?"

Kuroko sighed quietly. He decided to say it and in hopes it'd just spread and then he wouldn't have to explain it again. "I hacked into the FBI files and deleted evidence of a murder."

Aomine raised his eyebrows in recognition. "You're the Phantom. You were all over the fucking news. I saw it. We saw it. Guys, we saw it from our TV room. Look, Kuroko, I must say, your so-called friend is a piece fucking shit," he said, poison nearly dripping from his tongue. Aomine was furious. "If I were you, I would've killed him. Hired a professional to take him out. Did he come here? I want to sho-"

"No, he didn't come here," Kuroko answered quickly and forced a smile on his face. "It's quite alright."

Haizaki stared at Kuroko, fascination reflecting from his eyes. "Hacked into the FBI? Are you a some kind of computer prodigy?"

 

* * *

 

_"Are you going to chicken out now?" Mayuzumi whispered. We were both cramped into my small room that was basically filled with computers and other electronic devices. "You already hacked in there, just tarnish all the evidence or delete it. What's the worst that could happen?"_

_"You tell me," I let out a shaky breath as I surfed quickly through some files, adding and deleting folders. I edited some of the evidence, trying to lead the agents astray. What I didn't expect were all those gory pictures. "I can't believe you killed a special agent," I tried to keep my voice even as I deleted the pictures one by one. "Besides, what if I get caught?!"_

_"Please, Kuroko, I think you're smarter than that," Mayuzumi scowled and pointed at my screen. "Change the fingerprints. That's the most obvious thing," he said and finally sat down onto a chair next to mine. "I love you."_

_I turned around to look at Mayuzumi, fighting down a tender smile forming to my lips. I didn't question his motives. I never did. "I love you too."_

 

* * *

 

Kuroko examined the tray that he was balancing on his hands. It had six different sized slots in it and it grossed him out, more or less. There was rice on the biggest slot, nuggets next to it and some weird sauce on the third slot. In the middle of the tray was a carton of milk. It did not look inviting, everything smashed into a tray.

"You're blocking the line."

Kuroko turned around and he sighed in relief when he realized it was just Aomine. "I'm sorry, I don't know where I should sit down," the bluenette quickly explained and swallowed a lump that was starting to form in his throat.

Aomine stared at Kuroko for a few seconds before pushing him forwards. "You can come sit with us," he motioned Kuroko with this head and Kuroko followed him obediently. "Just sit with us and no one bothers you. But you gotta start looking after yourself, I'm not going to coddle you much longer."

"Thank you, Aomine-kun," Kuroko said, sitting down on a chair that Aomine told him to take. Kuroko stared at the plastic utensils, only now realizing how much his hands were shaking.

"Kurokocchi?" a voice next to Kuroko asked and it was a relief to see Kise smiling at him. Kuroko had already missed him a little. "Are you okay? Your hands are shaking," he continued. Kise was genuienly worried when he saw Kuroko's pale face and shaking hands.

Aomine perked up and also looked at Kuroko. He tried to mask his concern for the bluenette. "Just eat. I think you just gotta get something into your system. Rough day. Kise, let him breathe."

Kuroko took a deep breath and carefully opened his milk carton. He poured some into his plastic mug and took a sip. After that he carefully started to eat his portion. It wasn't all that bad. It just looked worse than it actually was.

As Kuroko was going to dip his nugget into the sauce, Aomine stopped him. "Don't eat that sauce," Aomine warned, not wanting Kuroko to get a stomach ache or worse on his first day here. "That white sauce comes in containers and Murasakibara has to peel some mold off of it sometimes. Other sauces are okay, just... just not that one."

Kuroko swallowed a bile down his throat and put down his fork. He felt like he wouldn't be able to survive here for the next fifteen years. The bluenette had lost his appetite, so he observed Aomine and Kise. "How did you guys end up here? How long do you have left?"

Kise chewed on his chicken nuggets in thought. He was doing some simple math in his head before he answered Kuroko's question. "I have 36 months left but I'm hoping they will shorten it if I continue being good. I've already done 13 months. So all in all I had, 59 months," Kise informed with a bright smile, proud of being able to count without using paper and pen, or his fingers.

"49, Kise. Can't you fucking count?" Aomine grumbled and shook his head, not believing how Kise couldn't do simple math. He was almost like Kagami. "This fucking idiot right here, he was protesting U.S. military abuses in South America. By chaining himself to a flagpole on an army base, might I add; naked. It was in all the papers."

"Aominecchi!"

"What? He asked and I answered," Aomine shrugged his shoulders and directed his attention back to Kuroko. "I got 228 months all in all. I have been here 28 months. Sakurai and I accidentally blew up a building and the explosion took lives of ten people. It wasn't meant to go that way but..." he sighed. Ninteen years was a lot for a simple accident. It didn't help the fact that seven of those were kids under 10 years old, so it kind of made things worse.

Kuroko was left wondering how someone accidentally blew up an entire building and somehow he thought Aomine wasn't telling everything. "I'm sorry to hear that," Kuroko said, not finding a better thing to say at that moment. "Sakurai-kun? Is he in here too?"

"Oh, yeah. He's in the kitchen with Murasakibara. I'm sure you'll meet him sooner or later," Aomine said, making some room for a red-haired man who placed his tray in front of Kuroko.

"Daiki. Why is there a piece of fresh meat sitting in our table?" the man asked as he took a seat. He was observing Kuroko with mismatched eyes and Kuroko wanted to shrink under the table. The man didn't want Kuroko to share a table with him.

"Excuse me, I should probably le-"

"Sit down, Kuroko," Aomine sighed and turned to look at the man with bored expression. Kuroko landed his butt back into the chair. This hadn't happened before so Aomine couldn't blame Akashi's reaction to Kuroko. "Akashi, give him a break. Would you rather have our dinner disturbed when the kid does something stupid? I think it's better this way."

Akashi kept staring at Kuroko curiously. He was interested how this little person had managed to wiggle his way under Aomine's wing. "The Phantom, Kuroko Tetsuya, isn't it?" he asked and Kuroko couldn't help but nod slowly. "What a sad fate for you since you could have avoided the prison by killing your friend before he decided to name you in court. You seem like a smart guy."

Kuroko's eyes went as wide as saucers. Was he serious? He looked towards Aomine and Kise with a questioning look, but they just smiled at him. When he couldn't get any help from them, he turned his head towards Akashi, who was expecting Kuroko to speak up. "I don't think killing is a way to go about things... Besides, I didn't know he was going to name me in court. It would've been too late by then," Kuroko said, observing Akashi's face.

"Interesting. You may sit with us for now. My name is Akashi Seijuuro," he finally introduced himself properly and offered Kuroko his hand. Akashi saw Kuroko hesitate but, eventually the bluenette grabbed his hand gently. "It's good to have allies around here," Akashi said when their hands were joined.

Kuroko nodded and reflected what Midorima had said to him before the bluenette came down to the camp. He had done the exact opposite. Kuroko was already mingling with other inmates. And this person right in front of him, was Akashi Seijuuro. The one Takao warned me about. "Well, it seems you already know my name, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said and flashed a small smile. "I'm sorry, but I feel it's pointless to repeat it."

"You have manners, I like it," Akashi smiled and gave yogurts to Kise and Aomine. "You can have my yogurt. I didn't expect our group growing in size so I only brought three. Haizaki doesn't deserve one and Atsushi already has one back at the kitchen," he explained, mismatched eyes landing on Haizaki, who was currently sitting in another table. That man had a mind of his own, and Akashi wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

Kuroko took the offered yogurt and he couldn't help, but smile a little. Then he suddenly realized something and put the yogurt down. The bluenette glanced Akashi warily. "What do I have to do to earn it?" he asked quietly. Haizaki had been here a lot longer than Kuroko had been, so why didn't he deserve to get one?

Kise opened his yoghurt and started to scarf it down with a plastic spoon. "You're starting to understand already, Kurokocchi," he beamed proudly, mouth full of yogurt. Kise was the last person to understand Akashi's schemes, but he wasn't afraid to voice his own thoughts.

Akashi raised his hand, making Kise shut up. "Nothing. You're new. I can see you barely have any appetite at the moment. I take care of my own people. Just like Daiki invited you to sit with us."

Kuroko had a small ache in the back of my head as he reached for the yogurt again. I'm probably going to regret this, Kuroko thought as he started to eat the yogurt. But something about these three made Kuroko feel at ease. At least for now.


	2. It has a bad taste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're sitting at a table of murderers and rapists. Yet you spit shit like that, as if you knew how it feels to watch someone beg for their lives," Haizaki said and also got up from the chair. He was furious. "You're just a little piece of shit who needs to learn his place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad for all the positive feedback I got from the first chapter. It warms my heart so much. I hope the story doesn't feel like it's confusing - please tell me if you feel like it is. There is also a question in my mind; would you like to see flashbacks from other people also? Like Aomine, Kise and Akashi? Like how they ended up there in reality. 
> 
> Without further babbling, you might want to fasten your seat belt once again.

"Kuroko. Hey Kuroko. Rise and shine."

Kuroko fought to open his eyes. The bunk bed was littered with tissue wads. The last time Kuroko cried was when he heard that Mayuzumi had betrayed his trust. But last night, he had cried for his own stupidity. How in the world he got into this mess?"

"What?" Kuroko rasped when he finally noticed Takao standing next to his bed. Kuroko's throat felt sore.

"If you want to have time to shower and eat, you should get up," Takao informed, looking at Kuroko with sharp eyes. Then his features softened and he smiled gently. "You look terrible. Come on, put some cold water on your eyes and it will be fine. Mibuchi cried too when he first got here. Aomine wanted to wake you up earlier, probably taking you to shower with him, but I told him you had a rough night."

"To.. Shower with him?" the bluenette asked and tried to get rid of the fog that was still all over his head. Takao was right, the night had been pretty rough.

"Ah, I mean not **in the shower with him** , but you know, show what's what and so on," Takao quickly explained, helping Kuroko get down from the bunk. "Take a nice shower and get dressed. You'll start to feel normal soon enough. You better keep to yourself in the showers. You got flip flops?" he asked as Kuroko started to go through some of his necessities for the shower.

"No... Do I need them?" Kuroko asked as he tried to fix his ridiculous bed head. It was worse than usual.

"Well, I have an extra pair but you gotta buy yourself a pair from commissary. There is some nasty fungus going around in the shower. You do not want to get it," Takao said and brought Kuroko a pair of flip flops. "Seriously, though."

 

* * *

 

The trip to the showers was... Interesting, if you may use such a word. Kuroko was probably one of the last people to go in since the water was fairly cold. The bluenette hid behind a shred shower curtain, trying not to show too much skin to other people in the bathroom. He quickly swiped his body with a bar of soap, listening to noises coming from the other side of the curtain.

"What do you miss the most, right at this moment, newbie?" Haizaki suddenly poked his head inside Kuroko's shower cubicle. His eyes were glued to Kuroko's round butt. "I mean there's gotta be something."

Kuroko tried not to show his embarrassment. He wasn't sure which way he was should be standing. _If I stand my back towards Haizaki, it could be an invitation towards my butt. If I face him, it could be invitation towards my dick_ , Kuroko thought and sighed quietly. In the end he decided to face him, not showing any emotion on his face. "My fiance's jacuzzi. I love to soak in there."

Haizaki whistled. "Man, I'd love to have a jacuzzi. Who's the lucky girl?" he asked and wiggled his eyebrows. "Or boy. I don't know which way you swing. Maybe you swing both ways."

" **She** is a very lovely young woman," Kuroko retorted and shut off the cold water that was making his skin go numb. Haizaki was eyeing the bluenette like a predator. "I think my sexual orientation is none of your business, Haizaki-kun," he continued and tried to reach for his towel that was just outside the cubicle.

Haizaki was first to grab it. He looked at Kuroko's body for a good while before giving the towel to him. "You have a nice body. Even though you are a computer nerd. What did you do for a living, before coming here?"

Kuroko took the towel and quickly wrapped it around his body, in a way women did. He wanted to cover up as much as possible. "I was the security expert in my father's company. I tested and found vulnerabilities in our systems, hardware devices, or software programs," he explained and stepped around Haizaki carefully. "Now, if you'd please excuse me. I'd really want to get some breakfast," Kuroko said as he grabbed his clothes, intending to head for the changing room.

"Oh great, I'll come with you," Haizaki said and trailed after me. Not exactly what Kuroko was planning, but he could take it.

It didn't take long for them to stand in the dining hall. The line was fairly short since they were one of the last people arrive. Haizaki was in front of Kuroko, mainly because the bluenette didn't want him to keep ogling his backside which Kuroko had noticed quite a few times while they were changing clothes. Kuroko was once again handed a similar tray as yesterday. Only this time it had a piece of toast, porridge and an apple on it.

"Kuro-chin? Would you like to have some coffee?" Murasakibara suddenly asked from behind the food counter. It took Kuroko a while to realize that he was being talked to.

"Yes, please."

Haizaki stared at Kuroko like he had seen a ghost. He gribbed his tray a little bit harder. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do?" Kuroko asked when Murasakibara placed a plastic mug on his tray. Kuroko and Haizaki walked side by side to sit down on one of the tables that was occupied by few other people.

"Coffee is... It's not something you get here every morning. I've never seen a newbie coddled like this. What the hell?" Haizaki growled and started to stuff his mouth with porridge. He tried to contain his anger, just because Kise had told him to. "Did you suck Murasakibara's dick or something?"

Kuroko nearly choked on his toast when Haizaki accused him of sucking someone off for a cup of coffee. "No. I'm quite sure I haven't sucked anyone in here," Kuroko said calmly and took a sip from his coffee. It was too bitter, but Kuroko could deal with it. He didn't dare to say it out loud, in case someone at this table or someone nearby had brewed it. Besides, Haizaki was fuming in front of him.

"Fresh Meat sat with Akashi's group yesterday. Aomine invited him. Akashi gave him his yoghurt. I bet he's Akashi is his new daddy," a man next to Haizaki informed with a sneer.

" **What?** " Haizaki said and turned to glare at Kuroko's direction. People around them started whispering and pointing fingers at Kuroko.

 

* * *

 

"Haizaki and Kuroko," Aomine murmured quietly when Akashi's eyes started to scan the dining hall. They were few tables away from Kuroko. He didn't like this new developement at all. "He sure is quick to change teams, isn't he?"

Kise slapped Aomine's shoulder. How could he say something like that? "Kurokocchi is just confused. Of course he will take any hand that is extended to him. He was in a vulnerable state when you left him alone! Haizaki is just preying on him, it's not Kurokocchi's fault," Kise started to wail and got up from his chair. He wasn't going to let things go out of control.

"Ryota. Sit down," Akashi ordered with a cold tone. "I want to see how Kuroko will take care of the situation," he murmured and lifted a coffee mug to his lips. "Haizaki will probably teach him a small lesson."

Aomine looked at Akashi carefully. "Haizaki isn't going to do anything stupid. He just came from SHU, for fuck's sake. I don't know anyone who would want to volunteer to go there," Aomine spat quietly. Akashi's eyes told him that he was being rude again. The dark-skinned male wanted Kise to go and interfere. Aomine wasn't going to admit it, but he was slightly worried and Kuroko's sudden change in teams felt like a betrayal. "You told Murasakibara to look out for Kuroko?"

"I did. But I did not expect Tetsuya to come here with Haizaki today," Akashi admitted, landing his gaze on the coffee mug that was cradled in Kuroko's pale fingers. The bluenette looked scared, and for a reason.

"I smell trouble. Hanamiya said something to Haizaki," Aomine mumbled quietly as he observed Haizaki's facial expressions change. Hanamiya was already getting up from his chair. "Should we...?"

Akashi shook his head. "No, I want him to learn what happens if you choose the wrong people," he said and averted his eyes from Hanamiya's table. "10 seconds and Hanamiya will act."

"Guys. What if he dies?" Kise whispered, obviously very worried for Kuroko's well being.

Aomine swallowed a lump down his throat. He was worried too.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko breathed in sharply when he saw Haizaki's friend getting up from his chair. "I don't really understand what is going on..." he tried to mumble. Kuroko thought he was going to get a heart attack.

"Hanamiya. Show him," Haizaki said and took Kuroko's coffee cup away. "You should understand something after this little lesson. Newbies are never going to be anything special. Even if you are the Phantom. Have you ever killed anyone?"

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. "No. But I will if I have to," the bluenette said with the coldest tone he could muster. Kuroko soon realized they might be his last words. Right after the words had left Kuroko's mouth, he felt a sharp pain radiating from his head all the way to his toes.

"You're sitting at a table of murderers and rapists. Yet you spit shit like that, as if you knew how it feels to watch someone beg for their lives," Haizaki said and also got up from the chair. He was furious. "You're just a little piece of shit who needs to learn their place."

"Inmates, break it up," a low voice said from the entryway. Kuroko couldn't register the voice properly. He didn't know who it was.

"In a minute, sir," Hanamiya piped up and pushed Kuroko off the chair. "I can assure you, he started it. We will handle this, it's not a problem."

Kuroko couldn't hear any voices clearly and his head was starting to fog up. He felt kicks on his side, pressure on his throat. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Kuroko tried to claw Hanamiya's hand away from his throat. Everything was starting to get blurred. If only Kuroko would've submitted to Haizaki and Hanamiya. Kuroko thought that if he threatened them, they would back down, but instead it had only fueled their rage.

" **BREAK IT UP!** " Kuroko suddenly heard a clear, loud voice right next to him and the kicks stopped, along with the pressure on his neck. The bluenette coughed and tried to even his breath.

"Hanamiya, Haizaki. One shot for each. Haizaki, you just came out of SHU, you do not want to go there again," the guard said and picked Kuroko up by his elbow. "Newbie, shot for you also. Go clean yourself up."

Kuroko just nodded and placed a hand on the wall near him to regain some of his balance. "Thank you, officer," he mumbled and Kuroko felt for his head. He tried not to sway too much.

"I have a name. Kagami Taiga. You're the new guy. Are you going to be okay?" the guard asked and peered at Kuroko's wounds and his neck area. He tried not to show too much concern for inmate, but Kuroko was probably the smallest around here. "I could escort you to the nurse's office."

"No. Please. I'm quite alright. If you'd excuse me," Kuroko mumbled weakly and started to make his way out of the dining hall. He could feel everyone staring at him and he fought back tears. This was not how the bluenette wanted things to go. Kuroko was worrying about the shot he got, he had no idea how much he'd need for SHU. The bluenette didn't hear a chair scraping the floor behind him and follow him out of the dining hall.

Kuroko was able to limp to the bathroom and he groaned as he looked at himself from the mirror. Kuroko looked terrifying. Bruises were already starting to form on his pale face. He lifted up his shirt to see the damage done to his body. Kuroko's neck was also starting to get a purplish tone to it. It was like a collar.

"Tough shit, buddy."

"Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked when he recognized his deep voice. He carefully turned the faucet on. Then the bluenette proceeded to get the blood away from his face and hands. They really did a number on him. Kuroko hadn't even gotten a chance to eat his breakfast.

"Yea, it's me," Aomine answered and sat on the counter next to the sink Kuroko was using. "I... You know... I'm... I'm sorry. We watched it happen. I thought you might need to know why we didn't do anything," Aomine started to explain but Kuroko was quick to interrupt him.

"It's alright. I understand. No one wants shots. And I guess my fiance would say 'trust no bitch'. Am I right?" Kuroko asked pitifully and turned off the water once he was satisfied with his face. "And I also feel like you guys wanted to show me what happens if I go to the wrong people and I understand. It was necessary. All of this was necessary. That just means I can't trust you guys either."

Aomine was shocked to the core. He didn't realize something this dark would reside within Kuroko's soul. Aomine gritted his teeth together. He was mad at Akashi. "I'm sorry. You probably shouldn't trust anyone around here. I just... I just came to make sure you're alright. Kagami should've jumped in sooner, we didn't think it would-"

"But it did," Kuroko spat coldly and turned to look at Aomine properly. "Could you please fuck off and leave me alone?" he asked. It didn't take long for Aomine to leave the bathroom. He took a deep breath and hit his hand on the counter. "Shit," Kuroko sobbed quietly and sank on the floor, trying his hardest not to cry over something this stupid.

 

* * *

 

Akashi saw Daiki coming to the TV room with a scowl on his face. "It seems like it didn't go according to your plan, Daiki," Akashi retorted and turned his attention towards the television. Dr. Phil was a stupid human. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"No. I thought he wasn't able to be impolite, but I was wrong," Aomine said and flopped down to sit next to Akashi. He sighed quietly, trying not to look so broken down.

"It was to be expected," Akashi said, not taking his eyes away from the television. "I believe he might trust people too easily. He is too naïve. I think it's better if he lost some of his trust to other people."

"You can't really blame the kid. He just came here yesterday," Aomine informed and started to pick his ear with a pinky. Akashi thought Aomine's habit was absolutely disgusting.

"I thought you didn't approve coddling," Akashi mused and turned to look at his friend properly. "I think you have a soft spot for small ones," he continued and small smirk started to form on his pale lips. "Which brings out the question; why are you disturbing my time with Dr. Phil, Daiki? It is highly unusual."

Aomine started to fidget under Akashi's piercing gaze and the redhead felt so much pleasure from being able to make someone so big falter under his eyes. "You're good at talking."

"Great observation skills, Daiki. But that did not answer my question. You can talk to me anytime you want to, just not when Dr. Phil is spouting his nonsense."

"I could get you a few cigarettes. I just kinda... Could you..."

"I will have a talk with Tetsuya," Akashi promised and turned his attention back to the TV. "Now that it's settled, you may stay here and be quiet, or you may take your leave. It's your choice."

 

* * *

 

"I think everyone hates me, Midorima-kun."

"Excuse me?" Midorima asked from Kuroko, observing him carefully. "Could you elaborate on that?"

"I'd rather not. Why do you have kamasutra book in your office, Midorima-kun?" Kuroko asked and pointed at the offending object on Midorima's desk with a frown.

Midorima coughed and averted his eyes from Kuroko's. "As strange as it might sound, it is my lucky item for today. I should not leave a lucky item behind because I was placed 10th today. It is merely to balance out my unluckiness. You on the other hand, are the most unlucky today. And you do not carry your lucky item with you, which is a pink frog," he explained and examined Kuroko's bruises. It's not like he hadn't heard already. "May I inquire how did you get hurt?"

Kuroko fidgeted in his seat and tried to escape Midorima's piercing gaze. "I believe Hanamiya-kun and Haizaki-kun assaulted me today. I thought you knew everything around here," he said and looked at a bonsai on Midorima's desk. It was very nicely taken care of. Kuroko had always been bad with plants. Momoi liked to take care of them anyways.

"That is true. I knew the answer already, but I wanted to know whether you are a liar or not," Midorima said and fixed his glasses. "Now what makes you think everyone hates you just because Hanamiya and Haizaki decided to ruin your face?"

"My friends didn't help me."

"Friends?"

The bluenette looked up to Midorima's face. It was void of emotions so Kuroko just nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, at least I think they were my friends."

"Kuroko. You can't have friends in this place. There is no such thing as friendship. You might have a partner, a gang, or something along those lines, but they will never be your friends," Midorima talked calmly, trying to make Kuroko relax in the chair. "In this place only thing you can look out for are allies. Now when I tell you that allies are alright, it doesn't mean that they will come to save your ass if they think it might bring them trouble. That is what makes a grave difference in friendship and partnership. Now tell me: do you consider Mayuzumi as your friend? He is the reason why you are sitting here right now, isn't he?"

Kuroko turned his eyes away from Midorima and observed the soft rug under his feet. "I haven't really thought of it that way. We were really good friends back when it happened and... I didn't question his motives back then," he mumbled quietly, hoping that Midorima could still hear him. Speaking loudly would've just made the words hurt more. "But I guess when you put it that way, I can't really consider him as a friend. He betrayed my trust even though he promised I wouldn't get caught for doing it. And I wasn't going to. They told me my work was perfect and they couldn't trace me no matter what they did. It wasn't until Mayuzumi named me and... they raided my computers."

Midorima took off his glasses and started to clean them with a piece of fabric. He was thinking about Kuroko's answer. "I can see that you understand my point. It's better to get allies and not trust them, rather than make everyone hate you. I've seen it happen many times before and my advice has been help for them. I suggest you to take my advice."

"Well, do you have... Suggestions on who should I try to...?" Kuroko asked warily.

"I have a few suggestions. The guards are a good place to start, but not all of them are going to be nice. That you can figure out by yourself. As for the inmates... Akashi has a good group, but they are a bunch of time bombs. You'll never know when one of them explodes. But in the meantime, I suggest you to stay away from Haizaki or at least never confront him and his little gang alone," Midorima put his glasses back on his face and observed Kuroko once again. "There are also some minor criminals. They have their own little circle, just ask for Hyuuga."

Kuroko was about to thank Midorima when there was a gentle knock on his door. "You may enter," Midorima said and the bluenette turned around to look who came inside. "Akashi. I have a meeting with Kuroko."

"Yes, I can see that, but he has been here for an hour already and Kazunari is bothering us. He is next on your schedule. Besides, I would like to have a few words with Tetsuya," Akashi said politely and flashed a small smile towards Kuroko's direction.

Midorima seemed to consider Akashi's reasoning. After few seconds he turned to look at the bluenette in front of him. "I know how annoying Takao can get and we have already exceeded our time limit. You may take your leave, Kuroko," he said and watched him rise from the chair.

"Thanks for your time," Kuroko said and bowed quickly before following Akashi. He was extremely uncertain after what had happened between him and Aomine in the bathroom.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Kuroko asked, unconsciously following Akashi through the maze of corridors. He didn't even realize they were outside until Akashi dumped a coat onto his shoulders.

"I would like to apologize for the morning," Akashi said and turned to look at Kuroko properly. They were standing in the courtyard, and the cold was trying its best to get under their coats. "I know that Daiki already came to talk with you. I was wondering... Do you really know how to curse, Tetsuya?"

"How many shots for SHU?" Kuroko blurted out the question that had been burning his insides all morning. The bluenette was concerned, of course he was. Everyone said that the Solitary was a bad thing so it really must be. Akashi chuckled and shook his head.

"Is that what you're worried about? You get five shots and off you go. You're still good, don't worry. Ryota has three shots, Daiki has one and I don't have a single shot," Akashi told Kuroko with a gentle smile. "I will never be unfair to my people. So I will tell you: I told Ryouta and Daiki not to interfere. Mainly because I wanted you to see what happens when you go with wrong people and I also didn't want them to get any more shots because you made the wrong decision."

Kuroko mulled his head over Akashi's explanation and his stomach lurched from the sudden warmness. Akashi wasn't a bad person. He just cared for his own people and his actions were sensible. If only Aomine had told Kuroko. He would've not told him to just fuck off like a little brat. "I must apoloize too. My reaction to your behavior wasn't agreeable," the bluenette finally said and exhaled the breath he was holding for a long time.

"I will accept your apology," Akashi said and motioned Kuroko to walk with him. The bluenette followed him, not wanting to cause any more trouble for anyone. "Do you have your job assignment already?" he asked, not looking at Kuroko's direction.

"Job assignment? Like... Kise-kun who is taking care of the driving?" Kuroko confirmed and saw Akashi slowly nodding. "No, I haven't gotten one yet. Should I ask for one?"

"No. They will come to you when it's time. Sometimes you start in the kitchen and end up working in the commissary. Sometimes you stay in one job until your sentence has been suffered," Akashi explained and pulled quickly pulled Kuroko towards a dark corner. The redhead led Kuroko into a small shack that had all kinds of tools inside. "The lock has been broken for a year now," Akashi told Kuroko and handed him a cigarette. "Do you smoke, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko took the small roll of tobacco with his pale fingers and examined it. "No. I have never tried it before," Kuroko admitted, feeling slightly nervous when Akashi reached onto one of the shelves and pulled out a small box of matches. "How...?"

"Connections," Akashi said before Kuroko had even chance to ask his question. He lit up his own cigarette first and then lit up Kuroko's. "I trust you not to tell about this to other inmates. What is been said within our group, stays within our group," he looked at Kuroko with serious eyes. "I will show you the ropes. It means you will not look down on me. I don't give a single fuck if you look down on others but I will always be one step higher than you. I am absolute."

Kuroko listened to Akashi's little speech and hurriedly nodded. He carefully took a drag from the cigarette. It was a little bit too deep since he started coughing for air. It felt hot, burning hot. Like a hot blanket thrown over his lungs. His mouth tasted like chemicals and it was so unpleasant that the bluenette was about to throw the cigarette away.

"Don't drop it," Akashi said and took hold of Kuroko's hand that was holding the cigarette. He puffed some smoke towards Kuroko's face. "You'll get the hang of it. You're not smoking wrong, you're just not used to the zen anti-spasm control required to get your body to take in a bunch of burning smoke and hold onto it," he said and took another drag from his cigarette. "Take a shallow one, little bit at a time," Akashi instructed and let go of Kuroko's hand.

Kuroko nodded and decided to try again. If Akashi wanted Kuroko to please him, he could do it. No trouble. No wasting cigarettes. Kuroko held the smoke in his lungs and slowly exhaled. He didn't cough as much as before, but he did start to feel a little dizzy. "It has a bad taste."

"I have to admit that this brand has a pretty foul taste. I like menthol. I think you might like it too."

"Do they have vanilla flavors?"

"Honeyrose," Akashi said, looking at the cigarette between Kuroko's fingers. "That's a brand that sells vanilla flavored cigarettes. I haven't tried it myself," he elaborated when he saw Kuroko's puzzled look.

"Right," the bluenette mumbled quietly and decided to just quickly smoke the cig. He felt even more dizzier and Kuroko had to sit down on a crate that was situated near the door. "I don't know if smoking is my thing, Akashi-kun."

"You need it. You seem like a person who easily loses his nerves. I must admit, your retort at breakfast was intriguing. Would you really have the guts to kill someone?"

Kuroko lifted his eyes to meet Akashi's mismatched ones. What kind of question was that? Kuroko put out the cigarette when he was done. Then he had to re-collect his thoughts. Was this what high felt like? This was only his second day in prison and he already felt like a horrible junkie. "I don't know. I'm weak. Even if I wanted, I wouldn't probably be able to do it."

"You don't exactly need to be physically strong to kill someone," Akashi said in a tone that actually scared Kuroko a little. "There are ways. Poison. Stealth killing. Guns. You don't need physical power to take someone out, Tetsuya. If someone bothers you here, we can arrange something."

"Akashi-kun, I still don't think that killing is a very good solution. I do appreciate your help," Kuroko quickly said, panic starting to flare. "I already have fifteen years on my account, and I'd really not take any more than necessary."

Akashi stared at Kuroko with curious eyes and put out his cigarette. Kuroko was amusing and Akashi was sure there was something more beneath that innocent facade. "I understand. I have three months left, so I understand," he said with a small smile. "Let's head back. You have an orientation day."

"Orientation... day?"

 

* * *

 

"Okay, listen up, inmates."

Kuroko stared at the guard, or c.o, he wasn't quite sure what was their right term but he had decided that a person with a taser and a big black stick on their waist was a guard. Kuroko had been sitting in this small room with Haizaki and some other inmates for at least an hour already. The orientation was just a **small** information on how the prison works in political ways and how it will improve the quality of their lives. Kuroko highly doubted that it would improve our life though. He learned that the guard's name was Kagami Taiga. He was the one who broke up the fight this morning and Aomine had said he can't count for shit.

"Prison is a notoriously dangerous place. Weapons are, of course, not allowed, but that poses no problem for inmates determined to do some damage. I have some weapons here that has been used by our former inmates. These are extremely dangerous and I would like to show you how these works so that you might understand what threats might lay behind a corner," Kagami said and picked up a chocolate bar. "Looks harmless, doesn't it?"

"One of the few things prison inmates can get their hands on is food, but weaponizing candy isn't always an easy thing. However, a few twisted and inventive souls discovered how to make a nasty, nasty weapon out of chocolate bars. You get a chocolate bar that has some caramel in it, and you get it all melted in an illegal prison hot plate and then you throw it in the face of your enemy," Kagami explained and waved the candy in his hands. He had seen that happen. It wasn't exactly pretty.

Kuroko had to grimace. He really liked to bake back in his day in civil. Caramel and chocolate can get extremely hot and they retain heat extremely well and it's an absolute pain to get it out of your skin. "Does this kind of violence happen a lot here in Teiko?" Kuroko asked and raised his hand politely.

Kagami searched Kuroko with his eyes. He was surprised that Kuroko would ask a question. He thought the boy was shy, but Kagami had apparently thought wrong. "Well, I think you have first-hand experience how cruel some inmates can get. Haizaki, don't give me the stinky eye, it was your fault," he said and moved towards the next weapon. "Razor blade comb. The inmate didn't have much to work with, and only a little bit of money to pay for essentials from the commissary like combs, shoelaces, and razor blades. So what you see here is a plastic comb, with four razor blades inserted into the tines, bound in place with shoelaces and copper wire. Yeah, that's pretty ghetto, but it would still slice your fucking face off," he said and showed them the offending object. "Luckily, no one got hurt and we were able to store it away."

Kuroko stared at the comb, thinking what really drove people to do something like that. He hadn't even thought why Mayuzumi had a need to murder (no, more like slaughter) an innocent man who had a family. Kuroko wasn't sure if he had even confronted him about it properly. The bluenette swallowed a bile that was forming in his throat once again. Oh god, I used to sleep with a killer, he thought and fisted his hands gently. Kuroko wasn't even listening to Kagami anymore. He could only hear bits and pieces.

"You might want to look out for Crucifix Shivs..." Kagami continued, not noticing that Kuroko wasn't even listening anymore.

Was this life considered as normal? Here Kuroko was, trying to listen what kind of weapons inmates used to get rid of somebody or just leave a permanent damage. Then the bluenette remembered Akashi's words and he felt even more sick. Did Akashi know how to do these kinds of things? Who in the world would want to use crucifix as a murder weapon?

"Look at this fucking thing! It's a fucking razor whip! I saw the poor fucker who got roped into this. It's more than a little terrifying. It's a wooden post with a shoelace attached to the end, a weight at the tip, and razor blades attached along the width," Kagami nearly yelled and whipped it into the ground gently. He couldn't believe how far some of the inmates went. "Jesus, can you imagine going into a fight swinging that thing above your head? You're just going to hurt yourself, don't do it."

Kuroko noticed that his chair was extremely uncomfortable. His entire body was in pain. Kuroko gave Haizaki a murderous look when he snickered at his direction. At that moment Kuroko kind of wanted to get that whip from Kagami's hands and teach Haizaki a lesson.

Kagami sighed quietly when he saw Haizaki and Kuroko having a staring competition. He put the whip down and walked calmly towards Kuroko. "Kuroko, Haizaki. Stop eye fucking and pay attention," Kagami suddenly said and snapped fingers in front of Kuroko's face. He watched Kuroko straighten in his seat.

"With all due respect, sir, I would never _eye fuck_ someone like him," Kuroko said politely and stared into Kagami's eyes. He was going to make this a point. Kuroko didn't want Kagami joke about things like that.

Kagami snorted and looked at Haizaki's direction. "Good one, Kuroko. I like your style," he laughed and walked back to the table that was in front of the inmates.  
"What the fuck was that supposed to mean?" Haizaki hissed from his seat. If looks could've killed, Kuroko and Kagami would've both been dead by now. He snapped his eyes towards Kuroko.

"It means exactly what I said," Kuroko sighed under his breath and tried to focus back on the orientation.

Kagami coughed and moved to the next subject. That was settled then. "We have a zero tolerance to sexual assaults..."

 

* * *

 

"I heard you gave Haizaki an earful back at the orientation. Good tactic, it was safe," Aomine laughed and clapped Kuroko's back gently. They went to sit down to their usual table. It was great to have Kuroko back with them. "So, how did it go? Did you actually learn something?"

"I'm just wondering why Haizaki was in the orientation with me," Kuroko said as he started to pick his food with a fork.

"Haizaki spent a long time in SHU, that's why. That piece of shit needs to be reminded of how things work here," Aomine answered and scarfed down some green peas. "I came back from SHU two weeks ago and I was in orientation too."

Kuroko nearly dropped his fork. "Why were you in there?" he asked quietly, not wanting to make Aomine feel uncomfortable. Then again, Kuroko really wanted to know. If Aomine was in orientation, he was staying a long time in SHU too.

Aomine tsk'ed quietly. "It's better if you don't know," he sighed quietly and pointed at Kuroko's tray with his fork. "Eat up. You didn't eat anything at the breakfast," Aomine said, looking around for a sign of Kise or Akashi. Mursakibara rarely sat with them. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Kuroko said, even though his whole body was aching and sitting was making it worse. He just wanted to lay down and forget everything for a while. The bluenette took a small bite from his lunch, but his throat ached even more than in the morning.

"Riiiight," Aomine drawled, noticing how much it took to even swallow a piece of meat. "Stay here," he said and walked back to the line, looking for Murasakibara's face. Back in the line, he was met with Kise. "Oh, you were here," he said and waved for the purple haired man.

"What are you doing here?" Kise asked, lifting his eyebrow. His eyes travelled to their table. Kuroko was sitting there alone, looking miserable. "Why did you-?"  
"Murasakibara, do you have anything easier to eat? Kuroko is having some trouble because some piece of shit dared to lay a finger on him," Aomine said loud enough for Hanamiya to hear. He shot an ugly glare at his direction and turned his attention back to Murasakibara.

"Aaaaah, Kuro-chin~? Is he okay?" Murasakibara mumbled quietly, looking towards the table. "I can make something for him. I'll bring it to you," he said and turned around. Aomine was glad that they had a reliable person in the kitchen. He was then met with Kise's tear stained eyes.

"What the fuck are you crying for?"

Kise started to wail and resisted the urge to hug Aomine. "You're so kind. I can't handle this. You've never been this kind to anyone," he sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Kurokocchi is so small and I just want to hug him and-"

"Stop," Aomine mumbled and ruffled Kise's hair. He tried hard not to show the blush that was starting to form on his cheeks. "I'm going back," Aomine mumbled and nearly ran back to their table. "Murasakibara is bringing you something else to eat."

Kuroko perked up a little and now it was his turn to get teary-eyed. "I don't want to be any trouble," he whispered and pushed away his tray. "I already said I'm fine."

"You don't even believe that yourself, so don't try to sell that shit to me," Aomine said as he was settled back with his own lunch. "Remember what Akashi said yesterday? We take care of our own. So suck it up and accept it. Be grateful."

Kise landed his butt next to Kuroko. "You heard him," Kise smiled and threw his arm around Kuroko's shoulder. "We're your new besties."

Kuroko fought back his tears and nodded. He didn't really understand, but Aomine and Kise were really making him feel a lot better. It's not like he would trust his life into their hands, but they were friendly and it was enough for Kuroko. It was more than enough for now.

"This is your home now," Kise smiled and placed a small kiss on top of Kuroko's fluffy blue hair.

"HEY!" Aomine roared when Kise went for a kiss. "Don't make him uncomfortable!"

Kuroko couldn't help but laugh a little. Maybe this was something he could get used to.


	3. I'm seriously worried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't ask that," Aomine corrected when he finally caught up to Kuroko. The bluenette didn't say anything to him. They walked carefully around the courtyard, watching out for guards and other inmates. The shack was their little secret after all. They reached it soon enough and went inside. "You usually came here with Akashi. Is it because of what happened in the dining hall?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small piece of shit hits the fan and Kuroko is heading down a slippery road. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the ride~

"Oh my god, Tetsu-kun. What happened to your face?!"

Kuroko had borrowed concealer from Mibuchi, but apparently it didn't work as good as it was supposed to. Momoi had always had terribly observing eyes. "I got into fight. I'm fine, really," Kuroko tried to smile. It had been nearly week since the assault, so he was glad that Momoi hadn't seen him at his worst.

Momoi took a seat. They were sitting in a visiting room. Kuroko recognized many of the inmates who were meeting their loved ones. Even Hanamiya was meeting with someone. It was basically a room full of tables and chairs. The only thing separating Kuroko and Momoi was a table. They were able to hold their hands together. Momoi's hands were so soft. "You're cleaner that I expected. I mean, I thought they didn't let you shower regularly and all that..."

"They do let us get cleaned. I just have to up by five in the morning if I want to have some warm water. I had a cold shower on my first real day in here," Kuroko said with a quiet sigh and closed his eyes. Kuroko was exhausted. Even though he wouldn't admit it, but every time he went to sleep, the bluenette was sure Haizaki was going to stab him with a crucifix shiv while he slept. "I have nice bunch of... friends and I really get along with them. It's great, they look after me. I'm also going to get my job assignment today."

"Tetsu-kun," Momoi started gently and squeezed Kuroko's hands. "Have you started smoking?" she asked, and Kuroko could see her sniffing the air. "That's not good."

Kuroko stared at Momoi. She seemed to flinch under his gaze and Kuroko averted his eyes. "You're not even listening," he mumbled quietly, pulling his hands away from Momoi's grasp. "All you're worried about is my new habit that actually keeps my shit together.

Momoi's eyes widened. "You said shit," she sighed quietly and rested her arms properly against the table. "You're... You seem different," Momoi mumbled and searched for Kuroko's eyes, wanting to find something soft from there. "You promised nothing would change. You know that I will wait for fifteen years if I have to, but you need to understand that we could lessen your sentence if we re-opened the case."

"I had my hand on the bible. I swore to tell the truth," Kuroko spat out quietly, trying to calm his raging nerves. "I think week in a prison would make you change too. Do you know what kind of crazy people are inside of these walls? Someone made a razor whip and a blade made of razors and a comb. Someone actually figured out how to burn someone's face with a bar of chocolate."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I understand. It was stupid of me to think that you wouldn't change," Momoi whispered and tried not to bite her nails. She had always had that habit. It usually got worse when she was nervous. "You know I will love you no matter what happens. I'll talk to my dad about re-opening the case. We could do it. You could do it."

Kuroko took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Momoi didn't understand. She would never understand what it was like to stay inside of these walls. "Don't bother."

Momoi stared at Kuroko's defeated form. Was this the man who had bent the knee in front of her half a year ago? She bit her lower lip and shook her head. "Your paren-"

Kuroko abruptly stood up from the table. "Don't. I don't want to see them," he said anxiously. Imayoshi walked a little bit closer. Kuroko scowled and sat back down. It's not like Kuroko was a dangerous criminal who would kill someone without second thoughts.

Momoi reached for Kuroko's hands again. "My fifteen minutes is almost up. I don't want to fight," she mumbled, obviously holding back her tears. "Please give me a call. Maybe you should call your parents too."

Kuroko clicked his tongue at Momoi's demanding tone. "I will not contact my parents. I'll call you," he said and stood up from his chair at the same time as Momoi. The woman in front of him wrapped him into a tight hug. "I love you," she whispered. "I will see to your case with dad," she finished and placed a small kiss on Kuroko's lips. "I'll see you next week."

Kuroko watched Imayoshi walk her out of the visiting room and the bluenette turned around to walk through an open door to his left. The visiting room was connected to their camp so Kuroko didn't need anyone to walk him out. Kuroko saw Aomine leaning against the wall. He walked past him because the bluenette knew he was just waiting for him.

"How was your _fiance_?" Aomine snorted and walked beside Kuroko.

"She wants to re-open my case. I denied. She is going to do it anyways," Kuroko said bluntly as they walked towards the TV room. Kuroko was in a sour mood. He hadn't seen Momoi since he came here and to be honest, it didn't go as planned. Kuroko wanted to tell her stories. All she wanted to do was re-open the case.

Aomine hummed quietly. "I'm going to be honest with you, Tetsu." Kuroko wasn't still used to Aomine calling him by his first name. It used to be weird since the only one who actually did it was Akashi and Momoi. "If you're staying here for fifteen years, do you think you will still want to get married? Fifteen years here changes you. That girl of yours has fifteen years to find someone like you."

"I wanted to break up before coming here."

"What? Really? Why didn't you?" Aomine asked and stopped Kuroko. "I mean I saw her. She's got nice boobs so I kind of understand where you are coming from but..."

Kuroko scowled lightly and continued walking. "She started crying and I didn't want to see her so upset. Besides, now she is re-opening the case and hoping-"

"That you two will get married as soon as possible," Aomine finished for the bluenette. He opened the door to the TV room and both males stepped inside. Akashi was already sitting in one of the chairs, waiting them to join him. "That sucks. Do you even want to marry her after all this has happened?"

Kuroko sat down next to Akashi, still thinking about Aomine's question. "I'm not sure. I think my priorities have changed. Like, do not eat that white sauce," he sighed and rubbed his eyes gently. Kuroko was so tired.

Aomine sat next to Kuroko and his arm was soon wrapped around the bluenette's shoulders. "I mean, if you get out."

Akashi seemed to perk up at the statement and he glanced at Kuroko curiously. "Are you getting out sooner than expected?" he asked, narrowing his eyes defiantly. Akashi's suddenly sour mood scared Kuroko a little bit.

"My fiance, Satsuki-chan, wants to re-open my case," Kuroko admitted to Akashi, who was still observing Kuroko with narrowed eyes. The bluenette skillfully avoided Aomine's question. "I didn't want her to do it, but I can't actually stop her from doing it."

"Is that so," Akashi mumbled quietly, slowly turning his eyes towards the television. "I would like to-"

**"Kuroko, Hayama and Izuki, report to your counselor for your bunk assignments."**

Akashi blinked, apparently holding down his anger. It was actually funny, Akashi getting angry at the PA. He truly was absolute in everything. "I guess we have to talk later."

"What the fuck, Tetsu? You got assigned? Why the fuck I haven't got assigned. This is absolute bullshit," Aomine started cursing and people in TV room quickly shushed. Kuroko smiled sheepishly at Aomine.

"I'm being good?" he asked with an innocent voice and Kuroko was sure he saw a tinge of pink adoring Aomine's cheeks. "What is it like... In the dorms?"

Aomine thought about Kuroko's question for a good while. "There are two dorms. We call them Suburban and Ghetto. I hope for your sake that you end up in Suburban. People are more chill around there," he said and shrugged his shoulders. "I was back in the dorms too, but when I came back from SHU, I was sent back to the rooms."

Akashi gave a hard glare. Kuroko wasn't sure who it was meant to hit, but it reached him first. "Are you saying there is something wrong being in the Ghetto? I think it is a lot more safe than Suburban. They need someone to run it. Junpei hasn't done anything good while being in there. He is too soft."

Kuroko really didn't want to end up in between these two when they started their bickering. Aomine was crude, but Akashi was beyond scary when he got angry. Kuroko had seen it happen once already. "I think I will have to go see Midorima-kun now. I'll see you guys later," he quickly mumbled and ducked away from the room. The other two didn't even notice him disappear from the TV room.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko was guided into a room full of cubicles. In each cubicle was two beds and two desks. So, Kuroko was getting a roommate of sorts. What he didn't understand was why Aomine wanted to be in a place like this. The bluenette felt like he was naked to a bunch of predators. "Excuse me," he asked from Kagami, who was currently making Kuroko walk towards his new so-called room. "Is this Suburban or Ghetto?"

Kagami stopped walking and looked at kuroko with a confused look. "Look, I don't really understand everything you inmates say here..." he admitted quietly. He observed Kuroko's eyes. Kagami noticed that Kuroko looked weary, tired and possibly tired of everything. The redhead looked around and waved towards dark-haired male. "Hey Hyuuga. Newbie here has a question. Is this Suburban or Ghetto?"

Hyuuga turned around in his cubicle. "Suburban," he replied and walked towards them. "My name is Hyuuga Junpei and you are Kuroko Tetsuya," Hyuuga said with a slight smile. He noticed the dark bags under Kuroko's eyes and felt sympathy for the younger male. "At least you'll probably be safer here than in the same room with Haizaki," he smiled and motioned Kuroko and Kagami to follow him. "Kagami has only been here for two months, so he is still new to our slang."

"Shut it, inmate," Kagami growled, feeling embarrassed by Hyuuga's retort. Soon they stopped in front of the cubicle Kuroko was assigned to. "Hey Mitobe, this is your new roommate. Get along, would you?"

"Kuroko, don't be offended if he doesn't answer you. We don't really know, but he doesn't speak to anyone... Koganei seems to understand him though," Hyuuga said when he pushed Kuroko into the cubicle and pointed at the empty bed on the other side. "That is yours. If I hear you causing trouble, I won't hesitate to kick or slap you. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Kuroko said and turned around to look at the man called Mitobe. "Pleasure to meet you, my name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Everything seems to be fine here so I will be going now. Kuroko, report to the aquarium over there when you're done. It's our office. We got your job assignment ready," Kagami said and started to walk towards the 'aquarium' with a huge window in it. Kuroko was able to see Furuhashi sitting there and watching monitors with a bored look on his face. He was also one of the guards who liked to give trouble to all of the inmates. Hyuuga also made his leave, saying that he had to go to work.

Mitobe nodded and made a ton of hand gestures. Kuroko wasn't really able to keep up with him. The bluenette wasn't even sure if that was sign language.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. You need to make your bed, clean room makes me happy so please, keep it clean.." a voice next to Kuroko suddenly said and nearly dropped his laundry basket. ".. is what he says." Kuroko turned around to look at the person who was currently leaning into their cubicle. The walls were chest high, so it was pretty easy to just lean over the ledge. "I'm your neighbor. Koganei. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. It's nice to meet you too," Kuroko said and immediately started to make his side of the room more... Homey. "I've never actually made my bed here... Mibuchi-kun always took care of it before I could do anything about it. Is there a right way to do it around here?"  
Kuroko was suddenly gently pushed aside by Mitobe, who started to make the bluenette's bed. "I ca-"

"I will show you how to do it, so pay attention," Koganei said, "is what he says." Koganei walked out of his cubicle and came into Kuroko's and Mitobe's. "You'll start to understand him soon enough. Don't worry. It's just the small hints you know."

Small hints, right. Kuroko stared at Mitobe's precise work with sheets and then he smiled at the bluenette brightly. This was a lot more homey. It reminded Kuroko of his childhood, how his mother used to teach him make the bed. Kuroko's eyes dimmed slightly.

Kuroko fell down to sit next to Koganei. "I miss my old life," Kuroko whispered. It felt like the darkness was trying to swallow Kuroko. He felt cold in his stomach. His head was aching. Kuroko wanted to barf. The bluenette missed Mayuzumi's obsession with manga books. He missed his life before Momoi. Everything was so simple.

Kuroko didn't even realize he was shedding tears until he felt two arms wrap around him. "It's okay. It'll get better. You're in a good place now. We were actually hoping you'd get here. Even though Akashi and his gang are taking care of you, you look like you haven't been sleeping for weeks. Hyuuga was really getting worried."

"You... You don't even know me," Kuroko rasped out and wiped away his tears. This was embarrassing. He was crying in front of strangers. He had never done that in front of Akashi, Kise or Aomine. He felt stupid once again.

"No, we don't exactly know you, but you were treated shitty by Haizaki and Hanamiya. You've had a rough week. Nothing in this prison stays a secret," Koganei said and Kuroko felt a hand petting his hair. It was Mitobe, since Koganei was busy hugging the bluenette. "You should probably go to Kagami before he flips tables. I have tissues."

"Right. Thank you."

 

* * *

 

"Yo, Murasakibara. Here's your new little helper. You probably already know him."

Right. Kuroko had met him many times in the kitchen area. He learned that Murasakibara liked snacks. Kuroko thought the job fit him. "He's in charge of the kitchen, so you want to listen to him, alright?" Kagami said. "You're good in the kitchen because you haven't stabbed anyone before. You could say this is a stab free zone. Enjoy."

And with that, Kuroko was left with Murasakibara. "It's nice to see you again, Murasakibara-kun."

"Ah, Kuro-chin. Just in time. Muro-chin just cut off one of his fingers when I scared him, but it's  
good to have someone cover for him," Murasakibara drawled and motioned Kuroko to follow him deeper into the kitchen. He saw many inmates rushing about, apparently trying to prepare their dinner.

"Cut off his... Finger?" Kuroko asked when he was given a knife and a bunch of carrots. He was looking around the workspace carefully, not wanting to catch any drop of blood. Kuroko wasn't sure if he was afraid of blood. His own blood made him nauseous enough.

"Mmmhm," Murasakibara hummed. "You know how to cut carrots, right? Goooood. I'll go taste the curry sauce. Don't cut your fingers, Kuro-chin."

It was just cutting carrots. How hard could it be?

 

* * *

 

Akashi couldn't help, but notice that Kuroko's hands were full of bandages. His eyes also looked a little red around the edges. "What happened to your hands, Tetsuya?" he asked as the bluenette sat down in front of Akashi, onto his usual seat. "Have you cried?"

They were the only ones sitting at their table for now. Aomine was still waiting in the line. Akashi saw Kuroko tensing from the last question. The redhead knew that he was right about his assumption. "The knives in the kitchen are dull. When I try to slice something, it just slips and...  
This is the result," Kuroko said and showed his wrapped fingers. He didn't know how to do it properly. They were messy.

"Are you unsatisfied by your bunk assignment?" Akashi asked from Kuroko. He already knew that the bluenette wasn't in his dorm. Akashi could make it happen if Kuroko wanted. Midorima could be easily persuaded if Akashi just chose the right words. "Remember, don't lie to me, Tetsuya. I know you've been crying. Tell me the truth, and only the truth."

"No. They seem like good people to me," Kuroko hastily said and looked at Akashi with uncertain eyes. Akashi gave him a small nod, asking silently him to continue his explanation. "I... I think I'm... I'm getting depressed. I miss my old friends. I really miss my soft bed. And I miss my old job. And I just hate everything around here. It feels like no matter where I go, no matter what I do, I just... Don't fit in. Everyone keeps offering me help and I'm not used to it. I'm constantly reminded that I'm the lowest of low around here."

"Tetsuya. I should give you a piece of advice considering your worries. The best way to handle all those feelings you have, is just get rid of your emotions. It will take time, but I think you'd be much happier if you didn't carry those things around with you. It won't make your life easier if you are carrying **extra baggage** ," Akashi said in a cold tone, feeling a jealousy swelling in his chest. He took a sip from his water and eyed Kuroko's reaction. "You are already getting there. It's in your nature. You do not show much emotion."

"It doesn't mean I don't feel anything," Kuroko spat quietly and Akashi was actually a tiny bit amused by Tetsuya's sudden defiance. "You can't just tell me to not feel. What does it do to my personality? Do you want me to be a shell that you can just order around as you wish?!" Kuroko suddenly yelled and stood up from his seat.

"Kuroko, calm down," Akashi heard Kagami calling to and wicked smile was already adorning Akashi's lips. Even though he enjoyed people looking up to him, something about Kuroko sparked a gentle fire within him. So Akashi let him do as he pleased. At least for now.

"No," Kuroko said and glared in Kagami's direction. "You... You need to fuck off and let me have this much needed conversation with Akashi-kun," Kuroko spat at Kagami and then he turned to look at Akashi. "And you are nothing more than a wannabe king who think he owns everyone in this fucking piece of shit prison. Grow up."

Kagami grabbed Kuroko by his shoulders, attempting to calm him down. What happened next, no one didn't really expect it to happen. Kuroko reached for the plastic fork on his tray and actually tried to stab Kagami's face with it. Akashi's eyes widened and he quickly stopped Kuroko's hand from doing damage to one of the officials. The dining hall was eerily quiet by their little display. Kuroko's hand was shaking in Akashi's. The redhead didn't know if it was from fear or anger or a mix of both.

"Tetsu, what the fuck are you doing?" Daiki roared from the line. Akashi was thinking the exact same thing. There was so much malice and hate in Kuroko's eyes and then... He broke down. He just cried and slumped down. Akashi released his hand and he gently pried the fork from his pale fingers, not wanting to hurt him.

"Two shots. One for an attempt to attack an officer and second one for disobeying an officer. I'm sorry, Kuroko. Those are the rules," Kagami said and lifted Tetsuya back to his seat. He didn't want to give any shots to Kuroko, but Imayoshi was watching his every move. He swallowed a lump down his throat when he watched Kuroko's broken figure. "Akashi," Kagami said and pointed towards Tetsuya. They had always had this silent understanding between them. Kagami wanted Akashi to look after him. Kagami didn't expect Kuroko to have this kind of side to him. He studied his trembling form for a long while before leaving them alone.

Daiki joined the table few minutes later. "Tetsu. What the fuck. Your case is going to be re-opened. You might be able to get out. Don't fuck this up now. You'll get more years if you end up in SHU. What are you thinking?"

"Daiki. I think it's best not to talk to him right now," Akashi said when he noticed Tetsuya tensing again. "You have plenty of time to question his actions. It's not like he is going anywhere from here," Akashi added and then they both ate in silence and watched Tetsuya fall apart piece by piece.

 

* * *

 

Apparently suicide in the prison was an everyday kind of thing. Kuroko had never witnessed it before though. Except, one day he was sitting with Aomine and Kise in the dining hall and looking out of the window. They saw a guy, intentionally leaning over a third story railing and falling on his head, breaking his neck and killing him after a few gargling moments later. He didn't have a face anymore. There was blood and splintered bones.

What really got to Kuroko was that he didn't find himself to care anymore. He was just kinda, 'oh shit, that looks like it kind of sucked', and then he just continued eating his lunch. It had been two weeks since he had snapped and attacked Kagami even though Kagami had only tried to help him out. As in, not to get any shots. Kuroko had met Momoi yesterday, and she was just crying because Kuroko didn't want to hear stories about her friend who was dumped by his boyfriend. Momoi didn't understand how much Kuroko had seen in these three weeks.

There was also a day when Kuroko was sitting in the TV room, next to Izuki. He seemed like a good guy, but he had terrible puns. They were watching a documentary about serial killers. The document introduced a young man who, after killing his victim, wrote puns on the walls with their blood. Kuroko was sitting right next to that man. They only shared a brief glance and then continued watching the show.

They also had movie nights once a week. Every once in a while there was a horror movie night. It was supposed to remind the inmates that there are bad things in the world and that they should be feared. Hayama was sitting behind Kuroko and Kise. Kise lent Kuroko his earbud, so they listened to the movie together. They needed earbuds so that you could listen to the movie. When the killer in the movie snuck up behind some girl and slit her throat, Hayama said, “That’s not what it looks like.” Kuroko thought it might creep him out, but it actually didn't. Kise was terrified by his words though.

Kuroko took a shower yesterday, later than usual. There was a new kid who came a while ago. Fresh meat. He had insulted Murasakibara's food. Kuroko heard he got 13 months. But he had seen the kid giving Hanamiya a handjob just because Murasakibara had told everyone not to give him food until he learned his lesson. Hanamiya worked in the kitchen. Kuroko saw Hanamiya sneaking him food later at the lunch.

It was normality. Everything felt normal. Midorima haid said Kuroko was adjusting well to the environment. If he didn't take Kuroko's suddenly violent streak into account. Kuroko was glad to hear that, of course. It meant that he could actually survive these fifteen years he had been given to. Momoi said that the FBI doesn't want to re-open the case, at least not yet. They would like to wait some more. You could say Kuroko was kind of glad for that information. He didn't want to be ripped away from this place he had started calling his home.

"You know the new kid who was assigned to my room?" Aomine asked as everyone were enjoying their breakfast. Murasakibara had joined the table today. Usually he was too busy and ate in the kitchen. It was a nice change of pace. "The one who gave Hanamiya that handjob in the shower? He sleeps above me and today I woke up with blood dripping on my face. He had slit his wrists and throat. Can you fucking believe it? Only 13 months and he lost it in a week."

"Not everyone has nerves of steel, Aomine-kun," Kuroko said and finished his porridge. Kuroko reached for his coffee mug and took a sip from it. As much as he appreciated Koganei's help in the kitchen, he couldn't brew coffee right. Kuroko thought Koganei and he could switch work once in a while. "I can imagine how unpleasant it is to wake up in someone else's blood."

Akashi was staring at Kuroko. He was doing that a lot lately. He didn't speak to him much after what had happened between Kuroko, him and Kagami. Akashi was more likely watching him from afar, not wanting to engage. He had two months and one week left to his sentence. Akashi didn't really want to blew it up by staying too close to Kuroko, even though he was really worried.

"Kuro-chin, are you going to eat that banana?"

"No, you can have it," Kuroko said and gave him the yellow fruit that was just sitting alone on his tray. After that Kuroko nudged Aomine's side carefully. "The shack."

"Yea. Figured you could blow some steam," Aomine said quietly, and he was sure there was a tint of anger in Akashi's eyes. Aomine and Kuroko got up from the table, Kise watching them in wonder. Kuroko gave him a small wave and then continued walking towards the main hall.

"You've been acting weird these past two weeks. Or is this how you act all the time? You know, like a zombie or something?" Aomine asked as they walked.

Kuroko scowled and opened the door to the courtyard. "I'm fine," he answered, even though Aomine wasn't really asking how he was feeling. He thought maybe that would give him some peace. Aomine tagged after Kuroko. He had retrieved his coat. Kuroko didn't take one with him even though it was mid-December.

"I didn't ask that," Aomine corrected when he finally caught up to Kuroko. The bluenette didn't say anything to him. They walked carefully around the courtyard, watching out for guards and other inmates. The shack was their little secret after all. They reached it soon enough and went inside.  
"You usually came here with Akashi. Is it because of what happened in the dining hall?"

Kuroko huffed quietly and glared Aomine with all his might. He always said it didn't work. Kuroko looked like an angry puppy. The bluenette reached for the cigarettes and matches that were on the top shelf. "Shut up, will you?" he sighed and lit up his cigarette. Kuroko gave the items to Aomine's waiting hands and sat down to his usual spot, the crate.

Aomine hummed quietly and sat down next to Kuroko. "You need to blow steam. Have you gone running at all while being in here? I mean, dude, I understand that you have toughen yourself. But I saw that man jump down the building and I lost my appetite. You just... Shit, you weren't even looking bad. You just kept on eating. That's not normal."

"I thought you were not supposed to run in here," Kuroko mumbled and took a long drag from his cigarette. Oh man, he had started to love this. These were the times when he really enjoyed himself. Who would've known I would actually end up enjoying myself? Kuroko shook his head. This couldn't be real.

Aomine rolled his eyes. "You can run. There is a running path on the other side of the fence. You've seen it. It's open two times a day. You've been here three weeks and you haven't gone there," he told Kuroko in a serious tone. "Tetsu. I'm seriously worried."

"What?" Kuroko asked and turned to look at Aomine properly. "I already told you I'm fine. Midorima-kun said that I seem to be doing okay considering the circumstances I'm being in," Kuroko clarified his confusion to Aomine, who just kept staring at him. "Stop staring. You're all doing that lately. It's starting to creep me out."

"Hyuuga came to us yesterday."

Kuroko rolled his eyes and flicked his cigarette. "And? What did he want?" he asked, looking at the smoke rising from the cigarette. It reminded Kuroko of Mayuzumi's hair. He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes to move back to Aomine.

Aomine rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "He usually doesn't come near us. He has his own little gang, as you know. So, we figured it must be important. We think that maybe you should... Change your C.O. We think Midorima isn't really taking care of you properly," he said quietly.

" **What**?"

"Mitobe, or Koganei, depends on how you want to put it, had told Hyuuga that you don't sleep at nights. Sometimes your sheets are bloody and when you actually manage to get some sleep, you scream. Sometimes. So we-" Aomine said but he was cut out by Kuroko.

Kuroko put out the cigarette. "Stop it," he said. "I'm pretty sure Koganei-kun doesn't even understand the half Mitobe-kun is trying to say. I believe it's just a misunderstanding," Kuroko sighed and forced a small smile on his lips. "Come on, let's go before the count starts. We don't want to get shots."

Aomine put out his cigarette right after Kuroko mentioned the count. "Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.


	4. Really fucking sorry, huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko's breath hitched from the warm breath that was making his ear tingle. He didn't question Akashi. "Okay," he mumbled quietly, even though he wasn't exactly agreeing with Akashi's needs. "I'll do it," Kuroko promised, but they both knew that it was a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mildly dubious content ahead.
> 
> Please don't hate me.  
> Please don't hate Aomine.
> 
> There is always calm after the storm, I promise. 
> 
> Don't get used to these frequent updates though. I might have a couple days of writing break after this (I write multiple chapters one after another and store them so that I'm always a step ahead of you guys).

"Do you like books?"

Kuroko dropped the one he was holding and looked at the man who was standing next to him. "Yes, I enjoy reading, Takao-kun," Kuroko said and picked up the book. It was nearly broken. All the books in the library were nearly broken. "I actually come here to escape Aomine-kun and Kise-kun."

Takao laughed and took one book for himself. It was the bible. "But you can't run away from Akashi, can you?" he snorted and shook his head. "You guys have had some strain lately. You don't sit with them all that much anymore," Takao said and Kuroko was already ready to run away from the library. Kuroko was here to run away from his problems. He didn't want Takao to try and play his therapist.

"Are you religious?" Kuroko asked and pointed the bible he was holding on to. He tried to change the subject. "I didn't take you for a one."

"I am a christian, actually," Takao said, his smile fading away a little. "I've always kept the lord close to me," he explained, actually seeming a lot calmer now. That was surprising. "Are you a believer, too?"

Kuroko stared at the Chronicles of Narnia in his hands. "I believe in Aslan," he admitted with a small smile. Kuroko was an atheist. Momoi's dad hated him for it. They were good christians. "He seems like a lion I could follow."

Takao's eyes widened and he grabbed Kuroko's hands. "Aslan is like Jesus. C.S. Lewis was a Christian. Though the Chronicles aren't neccesarily an allegory to the Bible, there are many themes, characters, and things that do parallel themes, characters, and things from the Bible. I can show you. Come on!" he said and dragged the bluenette to an empty table. The library was quiet as usual. Not many inmates came here. Kuroko usually came here in daily basis. What Kuroko didn't know was why he was letting Takao drag him into this study session.

"In this book Aslan parallels God, especially God the Son in many ways. The most striking example is that of Aslan dying in the stead of Edmund. He gave his life for Edmund so that he could live. After his death, though, he rose from the dead. This is very similar to how Jesus died for our sins and, afterwords, rising from the dead!" Takao said and started to flip the pages in the bible. "You have studied the bible, right?"

"No. I didn't study the bible at all, back in school. My parents are atheists so they didn't want me to learn," Kuroko admitted quietly, trying to shimmer down the fire within him. He was actually excited about this new piece of information. _Have I actually read the bible indirectly? I had indirectly decided to follow Jesus Christ. Holy fucking shit._ "Can... Can you tell me more?"

"Mmhm. In the Acts 3:19 says; 'Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.' Do you know what this might mean? Think," Takao said and took the book from Kuroko's hands. "Remember the time when Aslan told Peter to always wipe his sword after using it? It's like we need to always repent of our sins after we have committed them."

"Repent our sins," Kuroko mumbled quietly and took the bible from Takao. He read the line that Takao was pointing at. Turn to God? Kuroko didn't really understand any of it. It was the first time Kuroko was actually lost at a subject. He considered himself highly intelligent.

Takao took the bible away from Kuroko's hands gently. "You know... We have services on Sundays if you are interested to come with me. Order of services are always a little bit different, but you'll hear the P.A announcing them every Sunday. You must've heard it, right?" he asked and closed the bible.

"I don't know," Kuroko answered, suddenly feeling uneasy. He didn't want any comfort. He didn't deserve this 'forgiveness' God was trying to offer. Kuroko took his book back and got up from the chair. "I'm going to read this again and think about your theories," Kuroko said and quickly took off from the library. Today was a visiting day and Momoi was coming to meet him. Kuroko walked around the prison halls, and he reached the dorms. The bluenette gently laid the book down on his pillow and greeted Mitobe. He waved.

As Kuroko was walking out of the cubicle, he collided with Kise. "Kurokocchi!" he smiled and jumped the smaller male. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Kise wailed and petted Kuroko's soft hair. "Do you want to have dinner with us today? You look kinda lonely when you sit in that corner."

Kuroko moved Kise's hands away from him and wore his usual plastic smile. "I will think about it," he said. He never thought about it. Kuroko avoided sitting with Akashi and his groups. Their worried looks made him feel sick. "I have to go see Satsuki-chan, so I'm in a bit of a hurry," he mumbled quietly and scratched his arms behind his back.

Kise hit his palm with a fist. "Oh, I totally forgot about that. My mother is supposed to come visit me too. We can go there together, okay?" he smiled and grabbed Kuroko's wrist. He started to drag him towards the visiting room, and Kuroko just let Kise drag him around like a small puppet. Even though he really enjoyed the burning sensation on his arm, he wanted to drag his filthy hand away from Kise's. _Don't touch me_.

After Kise had let go of Kuroko's hand, the bluenette fixed his sleeves down and peered into the visiting room from the large window, looking for a mob of pink hair. Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the clock on the wall. Momoi was running late.

"Ah, my mom is there, so I'm going to go now," Kise said, tapping Kuroko's shoulder gently. "Don't worry, I'm sure Momoi will be here soon," he said, noticing Kuroko's broken look. The blonde left Kuroko alone in the corridor to watch the families through the large window. Kise felt bad for him. The only one who visited Kuroko was Momoi. He didn't know if anyone else came to see him.

Kuroko licked his lips and kept staring at the clock on the wall. 3:02 P.M. Kuroko directed his look back to the visiting room, looking at the empty table that was waiting for Momoi to occupy it. He couldn't go in before his visitor was in the room. 3:15 P.M. Kise came out of the visiting room and gave Kuroko a rather sad smile. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."

The bluenette only nodded and watched Kise walk away from the corridor. He was left alone but it didn't bother him. 3:54 P.M. The rest of the visitors were starting to head home. Kuroko had never felt this empty. His fiance had promised to come. She hadn't. Kuroko had called her yesterday and she was supposed to be here. Momoi hadn't come. Kuroko pushed himself away from the window and started to walk back to the dorms. It was nearly lunch time anyways.

 

* * *

 

"Eeeeehh? I didn't even know that Kuro-chin has fiancé," Murasakibara admitted. He was currently occupied by their dinner, which included fresh salad, salmon and mashed potatoes. "Why didn't she come?"

Kise shrugged his shoulders. "It was heartbreaking. I saw him watching everyone through the window," he explained their group with a slight pout. "Momoi sucks. If she promised to come, she should come!"

"Tatsuya, was he in the count today?" Akashi asked from Himuro, who had taken a seat next to his current boyfriend, Murasakibara. "I don't see him in the dining hall."

Himuro nodded. "Yes, he was there. He seemed normal to me. Scratches a lot though," Himuro admitted and stabbed a tomato on his tray, gently of course. "Then again, I can't never see past his eyes so I wouldn't know what he is thinking," he said and ate the tomato that he had brutally murdered in the kitchen earlier. "Aomine probably knows where he is since he followed him."

Kise perked up and looked around the table. "Oh, now that you mentioned, Aominecchi isn't here either."

Akashi's eyes flashed and he took his tray. "It was nice to have meal with you. I shall see you later today. It is a movie night today," he reminded, and took his tray to the stand.

"What's wrong with him?" Kise asked and tilted his head to the side.

"Aka-chin is jealous."

"Why?"

 

* * *

 

"So this is where you were hiding," Aomine sighed and sat down next to Kuroko. They were both sitting in a small utility room. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Kuroko shook his head in the darkness. Aomine couldn't probably see it though. He fought back a small sob that had caught in his throat. "I'm so tired," he finally slurred. It had been weeks since Aomine and Kuroko had the conversation in the shack. Kuroko breathed slowly, almost agonizingly slow.

Aomine heard the sob anyway. He carefully got up to his knees and reached for Kuroko's small frame. He didn't see much, but he felt the heat eminating from the bluenette's body. "I know," he whispered, and pulled the smaller boy to his chest. "I know."

The bluenette grasped Aomine's shirt gently and buried his face into it. He tried to hold back his tears, but he couldn't do it. "I want to be alone," he kept slurring quietly, hoping that Aomine would hear him. Kuroko didn't know if he wanted to be alone but he was used to being alone by now. It was easier to just push people away, rather than worry about every single thing. He still went to the kitchen to help Murasakibara, since it was his job. He avoided having social interaction. Hanamiya looked after him nowadays, as weird as it sounded.

"I know," Aomine said for the third time and his other hand went for Kuroko's hair. He gently tuckes his hair and buried his face into the softness. Kuroko smelled like cigarettes and apples. The scent of apples was from his shampoo, he knew it because he often showered after Kuroko. "But I'm not going to leave you alone this time," Aomine said and he felt like Kuroko was trembling in his hands. "Tetsu?"

Kuroko grasped Aomine's shoulders. He brought his face close to Aomine's. The bluenette could feel Aomine's minty breath against his lips. "Can I kiss you?" he slurred quietly, brushing his lips gently against Aomine's. "I really, really want to kiss you."

Aomine's eyes widened and he really couldn't resist the urge to do it. Fuck it, Kuroko was extremely hot piece of shit and he had a chance to do it, so why the fuck not. Aomine crashed his lips against Kuroko's smaller ones. He tightened his hold around Kuroko, wanting to explore that hot cavern thoroughly. Aomine had a small nagging feeling in the back of his head though. Was this okay? Kuroko was devastated. Was he using him?

Kuroko hissed when their teeth clashed together, but the bluenette angled his head so that the kiss would be easier for them. Aomine felt so good against him and he couldn't help but grind himself against him. "Fuck," he mumbled when Aomine pulled away for few seconds.

"You okay?" Aomine mumbled quietly. Kuroko's mouth was oddly dry, like he was not producing enough saliva. He had his own suspicions, but Aomine was so clouded by his own lust that he couldn't think straight. "Because I really, really want to fuck you."

"Better than ever," Kuroko whispered back quietly. It was Aomine who moved, snaking a hand up Kuroko's thigh, the other moving to his neck, pulling him in for another, more passionate kiss. As their lips moved in sync Kuroko lost himself, no longer realizing that Aomine had pulled him even closer, a hand wrapped tightly around his waist.

He was left out of breath and wanting for more when Aomine suddenly pulled away. He was panting, heart racing, craving for his touch. "Don't stop," he whined quietly, fisting Aomine's shirt into his hands. Kuroko shivered from cold, even though he was sweating slightly. "Please."

Aomine set Kuroko down on the floor and towered over him. "I won't," he mumbles quietly, nuzzling Kuroko's neck with his nose. Aomine pinned Kuroko's arms to either side of his head, roughly kissing him. Kuroko could feel himself growing, and equally so he could feel that Aomine was ready to be released as their hips ground together. He longed to be able to touch Aomine’s skin, to be released from his grip so he could run his fingers freely over him. But Aomine refused to let go. He did, however, remove himself completely from Kuroko’s frame.

Aomine slipped his hand under Kuroko's khaki pants, touching Kuroko's member gently. He felt so small in Aomine's hand and he couldn't help but smile. Everything about Kuroko was small. He was delighted to hear Kuroko moaning quietly, only for him.

Kuroko shuddered when Aomine had started to caress his member slowly. "Hnngh..." he mumbled quietly, eyes rolling to the back of his head from the pleasure. His heart raced; it had been a long time since he had been held, touched in this way. But somehow he didn't feel comfortable doing this. Kuroko pushed it aside gently. I do want this, don't I?

The bluenette gasped when something warm and wet touched his tip. He tried to look down to see, but it was too dark to see anything. Aomine had taken his length into his mouth and was sucking it gently. Kuroko let his hands move to Aomine’s hair, grasping it tightly in his fists, not wanting to be too forceful, but wanting him to take all of him at the same time.

Kuroko could feel the pressure within him rising, his skin heating, body becoming over sensitive to the touch as the blood rushed about, his body heating up and turning him a light shade of pink. He was so close, and then Aomine stopped.

Aomine took Kuroko's pants away completely and placed himself between Kuroko's legs, spreading them further. "We don't have any lube in here," he whispered quietly, making sure this was something Kuroko really wanted. At this point Aomine probably wasn't even able to stop. Kuroko was driving him crazy.

Kuroko shook his head. "Just go for it," he mumbled quietly, tucking Aomine's pants down. Kuroko blinked in the darkness, feeling a lump starting to form in his throat. He wasn't sure if he wanted this anymore, but his body was craving for it. "Quickly."

"Shit, Tetsu," Aomine mumbled quietly, not wasting any more of their precious time. He didn't use much time stretching Kuroko; he was too far gone think about preparing his friend properly. "Relax," Aomine coaxed, petting Kuroko's thighs.

Kuroko did his best to obey, breathes evening out and his muscles going slack. It all happened too fast. Suddenly Aomine was inside of him, and Kuroko nearly screamed from the pain at his backside. Nearly. He was able to keep his mouth shut by biting into his arm. Aomine pounded away, taking in every small sound that escaped Kuroko’s lips as though it was nothing more than sheer pleasure.

Kuroko was in pain. So long had it been since he had engaged in any sexual activity that his body had readjusted itself. Last time he was the bottom player, was with Mayuzumi and it was at least two years ago. At the same time, Kuroko's hazy mind was finally starting to clear up and he remembered every single thing he had wanted Aomine do to him.

But he didn't want it anymore. Aomine slowed his thrusts, taking Kuroko in his hand once more, pumping in time with each motion of his hips. They were both close now, the pressure rising, building, threatening to explode. They both came together, and Kuroko felt disgusted with himself. Aomine finished and collapsed to the floor with a wide grin on his face.

"Did you like it?" Aomine asked when they both had finally caught their breaths. The taller man was basking in pleasure and he started to re-dress himself. "Tetsu?"

Kuroko woke up from his dark mind and looked at Aomine's direction even if he couldn't see him. "Yeah, it was great. Thank you," he said quietly, pulling up his pants. He tried not to grimace at the pain. "We should probably go out separately. You go first."

Aomine nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll see you later, okay?" Aomine said and opened the utility room's door. He vanished from the room soon after and Kuroko's knees gave in. Why did this happen?

 

* * *

 

_"Don't squeeze my butt!"_

_I laughed and kept squeezing Sakurai's butt. "Come on. Don't be such a baby. We're both adults here," I grinned. Before Sakurai could run away, I hooked an arm around his waist._

_"I'm sorry!" Sakurai squealed and tried to hide his blushing face from me. How fucking cute is that. "I am a disgrace. I'm sorry!" he kept mumbling until I finally had had enough of his apologizing._

_"You can squeeze mine if it makes you feel better," I said and tilted my head to the side. "We're partners, so we're equal. Come on, have touch. I know you want to."_

_Sakurai pouted and rubbed his cheeks. "We should focus on our plan, not play around. I'm sorry," he murmured and gave his binoculars to me. "The building should be empty tomorrow."_

_"Should be?" I asked and cocked my eyebrow. " **Should be?** "_

_"I'm sorry! I'm quite certain!" Sakurai blurted out and covered his face once again. "It's closed tomorrow, so it should be empty!"_

_I shook my head and ruffled Sakurai's hair. "Then it should be empty."_

 

* * *

 

Akashi Seijuuro knew that he was the top dog in this prison. So when he asked for information, he was sure to have it. "I want to know everything Kuroko Tetsuya has been doing past three or four weeks," Akashi said and grabbed Hyuuga's collar. They were standing in the corridor. "And you will tell me, **everything**."

"Look," Hyuuga said and carefully pried Akashi's hand from his collar. "You don't need to grab me like that. We're both equally worried, so I'm going to tell you. Just, calm down," he mumbled, not wanting to spend too much time with Akashi. The redhead always freaked him out, even though Hyuuga was oler than him. "Izuki saw him in the bathroom once."

Akashi raised his eyebrows and took two steps away from Hyuuga, just so that the older male could be able to breathe. "Yes, he usually is in the bathroom every morning."

Hyuuga shook his head. "It was before lunch. Izuki saw him snorting something," Hyuuga sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "It could be nothing, I mean, Kuroko doesn't seem like a person who would do something like that," he explained. Hyuuga observed Akashi's reaction carefully. "But in the worst case... It could be heroin."

The redhead fell silent, thinking about Hyuuga's words. "It would explain why he doesn't have much appetite lately," Akashi mumbled quietly, already feeling his hair standing up on his skin. Drugs were one thing Akashi couldn't understand. He didn't approve of people destroying themselves by their own hand. "Anything else that could be suspicious?"

Hyuuga sighed. "He is really drowsy, but he barely sleeps. When he talks, it's sometimes slurred. He scratches his arms. I mean, a lot. That's why his sheets are bloody, it's like he's trying to..." he said quietly, not wanting to finish his sentence. The imagine in his head was too terrifying. "He could get into SHU for using drugs," Hyuuga whispered.

"He won't," Akashi said, gritting his teeth together. "I'll make sure of that," the redhead made a promise to himself and turned around. "I leave in a month and I'll be damned if Tetsuya isn't fixed by then," he spat and left Hyuuga standing alone in the corridor.

Akashi walked until he saw utility room's door open. He hid himself and peeked around the corner. Akashi tried to contain his bubbling rage when he saw Aomine walking out of the room with a confused smile on his lips. After Akashi was sure that the coast was clear, he sneaked into the utility room and put on the lights. He expected to find Kuroko. What he didn't expect was his miserable and shaky form on the floor. "Tetsuya?"

Kuroko flinched when he recognized Akashi's voice. He shielded his eyes from the sudden light. "Turn it off," he complained, trying to keep his voice even. Of all the people in the world, he did not want to see Akashi right now. Kuroko was considering getting a lucky item. "What do you want?"

Akashi took steps towards Kuroko and kneeled to look at his blue eyes. "When was the last time you took anything?" he asked and grabbed Kuroko's chin, examining the slightly constricted pupils. "I know that you're using. Don't deny it."

Kuroko shoved Akashi away from him. "Don't touch me," he whispered, looking like he was almost afraid what Akashi would do if he told him the truth. Kuroko swallowed thickly, trying to calm down his racing heart. "I had some before lunch, when I came in here," he answered when Akashi angrily trapped him between the wall and himself.

"Who supplies you?" Akashi asked, wanting to beat the shit out of the dealer. "This is going to end now and I want to know who gives you that crap," he roughly whispered and slammed Kuroko gently against the wall. He didn't want to use too much force, but this seemed to be the only thing that made Kuroko speak.

"Hanamiya," Kuroko whimpered and closed his eyes. "He brings drugs to the prison through kitchen. Murasakibara-kun doesn't know," he said and tried to wipe his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Akashi stopped towering over Kuroko's small form and he let out a deep sigh. Well, it was to be expected. Then he remembered Aomine coming out of the room and anger flashed in his eyes. The redhead reached for Kuroko's shirt and he quickly lifted it. There was fresh bruising on Kuroko's hip area and Akashi's eyes softened slightly. "Does it hurt?"

Kuroko tried to stop Akashi from lifting his shirt, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. Kuroko didn't expect Akashi to be so concerned. He started crying again and he shook his head even though he wanted to say he was aching all over. Kuroko grabbed Akashi's shoulders and took a deep breath.

Akashi pulled Kuroko down to the floor with him, trying to calm him down. "Did he rape you?" Akashi asked, caressing Kuroko's hair when he had finally stopped his crying. "You have to tell me."

Kuroko shook his head again. "No! I mean, at first I really wanted to have... sex with him," he whispered, enjoying the warmth Akashi was giving him. It was different than usual. It was relaxing. "Then... Then it just... I realized what I was doing too late and then I didn't want to do it anymore," he explained, trying to make sense.

Akashi nodded and continued caressing Kuroko's hair. "What we are going to do now is," he started and gently tucked Kuroko's hair. "You will stop using drugs. I'm going to end Hanamiya's little business," Akashi whispered to Kuroko's ear. "I do not want to see you being taken into SHU. You're going to man up and do the right things."

Kuroko's breath hitched from the warm breath that was making his ear tingle. He didn't question Akashi. "Okay," he mumbled quietly, even though he wasn't exactly agreeing with Akashi's needs. "I'll do it," Kuroko promised, but they both knew that it was a lie.

 

* * *

 

"You raped him, Daiki. Not necessarily by force, but he was under influence," Akashi said later that evening when they were sitting in the movie room. They had some time before the movie started.

Kise's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Aominecchi. How dare you do something like that?" he whispered, and it was one of the rare times you saw Kise actually looking angry. "You used him!"

"Wow, stop accusing me," Aomine said, not wanting to be accused of something he didn't do. "He wanted me to kiss him and okay, it might have escalated a little, but he never told me not to do it," Aomine growled, shoving some of his teeth in anger. "You two fuckers didn't even care where he was. I just went to see if he was alright! How the fuck I would've known he was using shit?"

Akashi grabbed Aomine's shoulder, adding pressure on it. The redhead was furious with Aomine. "Don't you dare look down on me, Daiki. I had sense to turn on the light. If you'd looked with your own damn eyes, you would've seen how wrecked he was," he snapped and let go of Aomine's shoulder when he winced from the pain. "You will not touch him again. If you even look at him in the wrong way-"

Aomine slapped Akashi's hand away. He was already feeling bad about the situation, there was no need for Akashi's and Kise's to rub salt into his wounds. "Jeez, calm down," he mumbled. Aomine sighed quietly. "Listen, I will not touch him unless he wants me to. Tetsu isn't your property. Besides, he has a fiancé. He's probably feeling like shit right now. Yet, here you are, sitting in the movie room with me."

"Guys..." Kise sighed quietly, rubbing his face gently. "I think Kurokocchi wants to be alone. He will come to us when he is ready for it. Right, Akashicchi?" he asked with brighter smile. "Kurokocchi is going to be alright, isn't he?" Kise continued, his smile faltering when Akashi didn't answer his question. This time, Akashi didn't know what to answer.

 

* * *

 

"Akashi-kun knows."

Hanamiya nearly dropped the vegetables he was carrying. Kuroko was going to be the death of him. "Where the fuck did you come from?" Hanamiya sighed, trying to calm down his racing heart. Once the dark-haired male had finally calmed down he turned to look at the bluenette. "Is he going to do something about it? When did he hear it?"

Kuroko nodded. "Yesterday. I need my fix. He said he's going to take down your business," the bluenette mumbled and helped Hanamiya carry some of the vegetables. "Do we move them somewhere else?" he whispered. Murasakibara was walking past them.

Hanamiya furrowed his eyebrows, making sure Murasakibara wasn't going to hear their conversation. "Does the giant know?" he asked quietly. Kuroko only shrugged his shoulders. "Probably not, because he doesn't seem suspicious," Hanamiya continued quietly. "Akashi is getting out in a month so if we can keep this hidden..."

"We'll be off the hook," Kuroko finished for Hanamiya. "Do you have my fix with you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes a little. Hanamiya rolled his eyes and reached for his pockets. They made a small exchange: Kuroko gave Hanamiya razor blades and Hanamiya gave Kuroko a small packet of white powder. This exchange worked well, since Hanamiya wasn't allowed to buy razor blades from commissary. "Thank you."

"It was a pleasure to do business with you, Ku-ro-ko -kun~ I'll re-locate our stash somewhere else," Hanamiya chuckled and went back to his work. The bluenette smiled slightly and went to his own working station. Today he was in charge of serving the food. When the tray came to his direction, he added carrots to the slot and put it forwards to Himuro, who placed a carton of milk on it.

"Are you feeling better today, Kuroko-kun?" Himuro asked as they worked side by side. He had heard about what happened between Aomine and Kuroko. "It's not any of my business, but..."

Kuroko snapped his head to Himuro's direction for few seconds before returning to the task at hand. "I'm fine," he gave a simple answer and glanced towards Kise and Akashi. They were coming closer. "It's nothing I can't deal with," the bluenette forced a small smile on his face. Well, standing was proving to be very painful to his lowerback. As if he was going to say that to anyone.

Himuro observed Kuroko quietly, trying not to comment how ill he actually looked. "Okay," he murmured quietly, passing the tray to Akashi. He looked into Akashi's eyes for a long while before they flickered back to Kuroko. That seemed to caught Akashi's attention to the bluenette.

Kuroko didn't notice the eye contact between Akashi and Himuro. The bluenette just wanted his shift to end so that he could leave. He kept glancing at the clock on the far wall and he didn't even notice that someone was standing in front of him, and blocking the line.

"Tetsu?" Aomine asked, when Kuroko wouldn't tear his eyes away from the clock. That seemed to catch the smaller one's attention. "About yesterday," he said quietly, averting his eyes from Kuroko's. Kuroko looked so broken, so empty. He was nothing like the Kuroko who came here two months ago. "I'm really fucking sorry. I didn't mean to do something like that. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Aomine-kun. You're blocking the line," Kuroko said quietly, trying to focus on his work. He pushed Aomine's tray forward. The bluenette could see that Aomine was in emotional pain. Kuroko was sure that Akashi and Kise had given him an earful already. "It's okay, I'm fine. Just go," the bluenette tried when Aomine wasn't budging. After that the dark-skinned male went forward, even if he kept glancing at the bluenette.

"Really fucking sorry, huh?" Kuroko whispered.


	5. Jackpot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I said I know everything, Kuroko. If you accept the puppy program, you will still work in the kitchen. The only difference is that the dog follows you everywhere. Additionally, specific times have been incorporated in your schedule for feeding, toileting, training, and exercising the puppy," Midorima explained and pointed at the paper in Kuroko's hands. "It's all in there. You do know how to read, don't you?" he sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Drug using, panic attack and withdrawals. Also, slightly smaller chapter this time.
> 
> It gets better. At least for a while.

Kuroko felt chills all over his fragile body. He tossed and turned in his bed, feeling extremely sick for some reason. _Am I getting sick?_ he quietly asked, trying to wrap the blanket over his body. His mind was foggy and everything hurt, literally everything. "Shit," he whispered quietly, trying to see what time it was. It was nearly 6 A.M which meant that he had slept more than normally. After Kuroko had managed to sit up on his bed, he became extremely aware of his surroundings. It seemed like all the inmates were talking loudly and he was having a hard time to breathe. Kuroko started to get cold sweat and he couldn't swallow properly.

"Kuroko?" Koganei asked when he came to see Mitobe, but Kuroko didn't respond to his voice. He couldn't hear him, since his voice was muffled by all the other noises the bluenette was currently hearing. Koganei furrowed his eyebrows and went to stand in front of Kuroko. He shook Kuroko's shoulders. "Kuroko? You okay?"

Kuroko's eyes widened and he backed away from Koganei, and got up from his bed. He needed his fix. Where did he put it? Where is his skag? Kuroko's mouth opened and closed, like a fish on a dry land. "I... I need to... Uh," Kuroko mumbled, all the words disappearing into thin air. "Bathroom," he mumbled and ran away from the cubicle, only to be collided with someone.

"No running, inmate," Kagami said and held Kuroko from his shoulders. He furrowed his eyebrows at the bluenette's twitchiness. "You okay there, buddy?" he asked and tried to search for Kuroko's eyes. He sure hoped this wasn't what it looked like.

Kuroko tried to regain his composure. He took some deep breaths before talking again. "I just... Need to go..." he mumbled and shut his eyes when he searched for the word again. "To...To the bathroom."

Kagami was suspicious of Kuroko's actions, but stepped aside. "Carry on then," he said, watching the smaller male stumble towards the corridor. The redhead waited two minutes until he started to walk towards the bathroom as well. He had seen many junkies while he had been in Teiko prison, and Kuroko's behavior was alarming. To his knowledge, Kuroko wasn't an addict when he came to the prison. _Where did he get that shit?_ Kagami thought.

Kuroko stepped into the bathroom, avoiding all the half-naked inmates who were coming to shower. He opened the toilet stall and ducked inside. He locked it from the inside and let out a deep breath. _Okay, calm down_ , Kuroko repeated in his head when he turned around to look at the brick wall. Eleventh brick from the bottom, third brick from the left. Kuroko's fingers shook as he carefully took the brick away from the wall. He quickly took some from the stash and put the brick back in the wall before anyone could see. Kuroko pried the small bag open and made a thin line of white powder onto the toilet seat.

"Hey! Are you done yet?" someone asked from behind the door and Kuroko silently cursed.

"Just a sec!" Kuroko yelled and bent down to snort his line quickly. His eyes watered for a while because he did it quicker than usual. After that he flushed away all the evidence and wiped his nose. "Sorry for the wait," he said to the inmate waiting on the other side of the door. Kuroko walked to the sink and started to wash his face from the sweat he had collected. The bluenette fixed his hair before he left from the bathroom, only to collide into Kagami, again. "I hope this isn't starting to be a habit between us," Kuroko said and sighed quietly. "Sorry about that, Kagami-kun."

Kagami's eye brows rose from the sudden change in Kuroko's mood. Oh, now he was extremely suspicious. He eyed Kuroko's nose that was running slightly. "You got a flu or something?" he asked, not letting Kuroko walk away from the situation. "Runny nose."

Kuroko's eyes widened and he wiped his nose into his sleeve. "Uh, yeah. Something like that," he said and nodded. "I believe I might be coming down with something. I have some muscle pain, so I think it's just a common flu. Hyuuga-kun was complaining about his sore throat the other day," Kuroko lied confidently, staring into Kagami's red eyes. Only then Kuroko started to feel that his high was coming to him and he needed to get away from Kagami. "I need to get dressed properly," he said and flashed a small smile before disappearing from Kagami's line of sight.

Kagami was left standing alone in the corridor and he was mulling his head over the lies Kuroko was feeding him. "I'm not that stupid, Kuroko," he sighed quietly and scratched his head. Kagami really wanted to turn his eyes away from the mess Kuroko was getting into. He had grown fond of the young prisoner. Sometimes they sat together in library when they were both extremely bored. Kagami had been a little bit surprised that Kuroko was actually pretty lonely. He did know that Akashi was keeping an eye on Kuroko all the time, but it didn't erase the loneliness he was feeling. Kagami sighed again. He needed coffee. And he needed to report this.

 

* * *

 

_"Look at that babe. Mazda RX-7 Veilside, not bad," Hayama smiled and let his fingers slide on its surface._

_"Only 306 horsepower at 6,650 rpm," I answered with my usual tone, but there was a smile on my lips. I loved my new baby. The painting was shiny black and the sides of the car were painted in deep red. "But I think I'm still going to give it a go."_

_Hayama tilted his head and knocked my baby's roof with his fingers. "You gonna race with her? When?" he asked, smile spreading wide on his cheeks._

_"Saturday. You're coming too, aren't you?"_

 

* * *

 

"Hanamiya, don't play dumb with me. Either we can figure this out together, or I can go and have a nice little chat with Shintaro," Akashi sighed quietly, trying to get into the kitchen. Murasakibara had already raided the kitchen, but he came back empty handed. "I will not have junkies having withdrawals when you decide to stop providing."

"You don't care about _the others_. Your little princess is far gone, Akashi. Even if I stop providing, he will just go and get his fix from someone else," Hanamiya said, leaning casually against the wall. "You can't just have him go cold turkey now. Did you see him this morning?" Hanamiya snorted and shook his head. "Listen, you're getting out in less than a month and he will not be your responsibility anymore."

Akashi furrowed his eyebrows. He was going to be here for another month, so Kuroko was still kind of his responsibility. The bluenette had been his responsibility the moment he had offered him his first cigarette. "Where does he keep his stash?" the redhead asked, taking a step closer to Hanamiya. "I'm getting rid of it. I suppose it's not a problem for you."

"No, it's Kuroko's own problem," Hanamiya sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't know. He is even afraid of his own fucking shadow. Why do you think he'd tell me where he keeps his white china?" he laughed quietly. "Just keep thinking your freedom. It keeps your nose out of other people's business."

Akashi grabbed Hanamiya's collar, trying to contain his urge to punch the shit out of him. They stared into each other's eyes at least for a minute until Akashi let go. "If Tetsuya falls to SHU, I will make damn sure you will find yourself from there also."

Hanamiya mock saluted Akashi. "I'll keep that in mind, sir," he said and and turned around, walking back to the kitchen area. Akashi kept watching after him until he was out of sight.

Akashi turned on his heels and started walking towards the bathroom. No one was in there when Akashi finally reached his destination. All the better. Akashi went into the showers and lifted the grates. He didn't find anything except for sealed candy bags. He walked to the sink and washed his hands thoroughly.

The redhead turned around and kept staring at the stalls in front of him. He leaned his back against the sink, feeling slightly uneasy. He started going through the stalls one by one. Akashi went into the one in the middle and stopped on his tracks. He kneeled down on the floor, noticing a tiny bit of amount white pulver on the ground. "This is it," Akashi sighed quietly, looking around in the stall. He looked into the toilet's water container and found nothing. "Come on," he mumbled feeling the brick wall with his hands. One of the bricks felt loose, so he pried the brick off.

Akashi reached inside and pulled small bags of white powder from the wall. He had found the stash. Akashi put the bags inside of his pockets and prayed to whatever God was there, that he'd have time to put them into Hanamiya's cubicle. He put the brick back into the wall and walked away from the bathroom.

The redhead didn't even have time to reach the dorms when he heard an alarm buzzing and inmates getting down on the ground. "You have got to be kidding me," he whispered to himself and went to lay face-down on the ground. He placed his hands next to his head.

**"Bunk Inspection! Please lay down on the ground and keep your hands in sight."**

Akashi rolled his eyes. The moment the alarm rang, he knew that this wasn't just a normal bunk inspection. So he prayed again, silently in his mind. For Christ's sake, he went to the chapel every Sunday. Akashi really hoped that some higher power would save him from this situation. But of course that never happened. He felt a nudge on his side.

"Stand up, inmate. We will have you randomly searched."

 _This is it_ , Akashi mentally cursed and stood up from the ground. It was Kagami. Okay, so he had some hope left after all. Akashi spread his hands and legs and let Kagami probe his body for any sharp or other objects. Akashi's heart stopped when Kagami pulled Kuroko's stash from his pocket. "Don't make a scene," Akashi hissed quietly, making sure Kagami heard him.

"Jackpot," Kagami hummed quietly and waved the bags in front of Akashi's face. When Aida Kagetora had heard of a possible drug problem, he had insisted taking immediate action. Kagami was glad he wasn't wrong. "Do you know what this means to you?" Kagami lowered his voice, staring Akashi. "You're-"

"You must know that I have a perfect explanation to this," Akashi said, not taking his eyes away from Kagami.

"Are you sure you **want** to explain this?" Kagami asked, knowing exactly who owned this white powder. Of course it wasn't Akashi. "I hope you understand what consequences explaining would have."

Akashi shut his mouth. Of course he didn't want Kuroko to get more problems on top of his addiction. Kagami knew the truth and both of them wanted to protect Kuroko. He took a deep breath, feeling slightly nauseous. "Fine. But I want to take someone else down with me. Hanamiya supplies these through the kitchen. Atsushi raided the kitchen yesterday, but found nothing," Akashi whispered, feeling rage building up in his chest. Why was he doing this? Why was he doing this for Kuroko? He didn't know. "He hid them somewhere else."

Kagami placed his hand on Akashi's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Akashi. I can't turn blind eye on this one. You had a fucking bad timing to save Kuroko's ass," he whispered to Akashi's ear and then straightened up. "Let's go to Aida's office and see what he has to say about this."

"Yes, sir."

 

* * *

 

_I accelerated and switched into second gear. I pushed the clutch in. I flicked the steering wheel to the inside of the turnand at the same time pulling the handbrake. I put some serious pressure on the gas pedal and let go of the clutch. I steered the car in the direction of the slide, using throttle to control the angle of the drift. I wanted to yell from the pure pleasure of making the car howl under me._

_I finally arrived to the finishing like. I stepped out of my brand new baby, enjoying the slowly fading adrenaline._

_"Holy shit! Akashi, you're a god," Kotaro jumped me from the cheering crowd. "She's a real lady, that Veilside. You gonna name her?"_

_I chuckled quietly and pushed Kotaro away from me. "No. One day, when I have someone special, I will name it after him or her."_

_"That is so fucking cheesy."_

_"I know."_

**_"GUYS! It's the police!"_ **

 

* * *

 

Kuroko was sitting in the utility room, once again. Except this time the lights were on and Kise was sitting with him. "Why did he do something like that?" he mumbled quietly, pulling his knees towards his chest. Kuroko didn't understand why Akashi would go as far as taking a longer sentence just so that Kuroko didn't get more years. "I already have fifteen years. It wouldn't matter if I got few more."

Kise was sitting in front of Kuroko, not really knowing what to say. "It's not just the extended sentence, Kurokocchi. Do you know what would happen if they find drugs from your system?" he asked, placing his hand on Kuroko's knee. "They'd take you to SHU. And you'd be all alone with your withdrawals, no one would help you. Akashi isn't going to SHU because he's clean."

"I'm sorry. For all the trouble I've caused."

Kise shook his head and smiled a little. "You shouldn't apologize to me. You've been the least of my troubles," he said and hugged Kuroko. "You know what you could do?" Kise asked when he pulled away from Kuroko. "You should apologize to Akashicchi and then we're going to get you clean, okay? You have been using a little bit longer than a month, right? We can do it together. Okay. We'll do it."

Kuroko bit his lowe lip gently. It was the least he could do. Akashi's sacrifice was a huge one. No one should take a fall like that for anyone. "We'll do it."

And this time they both knew, that Kuroko spoke the truth.

 

* * *

 

"The Puppy Program?" Kuroko asked, tilting his head to the side. He was staring at Midorima's green eyes, trying to understand what he meant buy a puppy program.

"Usually the puppy program is for model inmates. Which means, zero shot balance, great behavior and so on," Midorima said and gave Kuroko a piece of paper, that included all the instructions concerning the program. "But Kiyoshi and I talked with Aida-san, and we are both very positive that you would be a perfect fit for it," he murmured, glancing into Kuroko's direction. "I heard you've been having... **slight difficulties**. When you have responsibility on your shoulders, you might start taking care of yourself also."

Kuroko was staring at Midorima. It had been five days since he went cold turkey. First three days were an absolute hell of withdrawals. Kise and Aomine had made a deal of watching over the bluenette. Somehow Kuroko had avoided the SHU and the bluenette knew, that Kagami had his fingers on it. He was grateful, but Kagami was of course risking his own job. After all, he was hiding information from the higher-ups. "Do you... know... about **it**?"

"I said I know everything, Kuroko. If you accept the puppy program, you will still work in the kitchen. The only difference is that the dog follows you everywhere. Additionally, specific times have been incorporated in your schedule for feeding, toileting, training, and exercising the puppy," Midorima explained and pointed at the paper in Kuroko's hands. "It's all in there. You do know how to read, don't you?" he sighed.

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows, feeling slightly twitchy. He assumed it was the withdrawals. At least he wasn't feeling sick right at this moment. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

 

* * *

 

Aomine stared.

Kise stared.

Murasakibara stared.

Kagami stared from the other side of the dining hall.

Even Haizaki and Hanamiya were staring in another table.

"It's just a dog," Kuroko mumbled, lifting the small puppy to his lap. He scratched him behind his ears and smiled gently. Even if the bluenette had been against the idea at first, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the cute little thing. "Stop staring, it's rude."

"It's a dog. I haven't seen a dog in years," Aomine sighed, averting his eyes from the cute sight in front of him. "They give a dog to junkie. Whose idea was that?"

Kuroko pouted and kicked Aomine's ankle. "I am not a junkie, Aomine-kun," he murmured, burying his face into the dog's soft fur. "You're so mean."

"It was my idea," Akashi said, and ate his pudding. It was rare to have any kind of dessert, so he was savouring it with great pleasure. If he was going to stay here for another three years, of fucking course he was going to enjoy his pudding. "It seems like I made the right suggestion."

"Aka-chin, the dog is going to replace all of us," Murasakibara drawled quietly, staring at the small dog on Kuroko's lap. "It's his new best friend."

"Don't be like that, Murasakibaracchi," Kise smiled brightly, looking at the new cute pair next to him. The dog and Kuroko. "Don't you think the dog looks kinda familiar?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

The silence stretched and Kuroko started to feel awkward, when four pair of eyes were staring at him and the dog.

"Holy shit. It's Tetsu."

Akashi put down his spoon, to observe even more closely. "I think you might be right, Daiki," he admitted, tilting his head a little. "The dog has the same brilliant blue eyes as Tetsuya."

Kuroko felt his cheeks redden when everyone in the table started laughing and joking about Akashi's fixation on getting Kuroko into the puppy program.

"You didn't pick the dog, did you?" Kise asked, trying to contain his laugh.

Akashi scowled slightly. "I'm not obsessed or fixated into anything or into anyone. Even if I know how to wiggle my way around this prison doesn't mean I get to choose what dog he's going to get," he said calmly, taking his attention back to his pudding. "I'm just glad Tetsuya looks happy."

"I say we name him, "Nigou. As in Tetsuya #2," Aomine grinned brightly and brought his fist closer to Kuroko. The smaller one bumped his fist gently against Aomine's and a bright smile was starting to form on his lips. "We good now?"

"We're good," Kuroko said, hugging Nigou close to his chest. "Thank you, Akashi-kun. For everything."

"I know," Akashi smiled slightly, turning his eyes away from Kuroko's blue eyes.

 

* * *

 

Later that evening Kuroko found a pack of _Honeyrose_ resting under his pillow


	6. Do you believe in God?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Seriously though," Kuroko continued soon after. "Aslan never told anyone to eat his body or drink his blood. Is this Jesus some kind of creep?" he whispered, trying to remember the bits and pieces from the Chronicles of Narnia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was aiming for a little bit more funnier chapter. I mean, who doesn't love Takao? Kuroko and Takao are perfect gossip buddies. Not much happens in this chapter.
> 
> Okay, So I am Lutheran, but I'm not super religious or anything. I've worked for our little church community for five years now and I've grown accustomed to our lunatic priest who hates gays, tattoos and everything that is denied in the bible. Super religious dude. I don't like him. ANYWAYS, since we are all part of different religions, it was hard to decide which religion I should put the characters so I opted for Christians. I respect every single religion out there and I have nothing against anyone. It was easiest to write something I was familiar with. But I made some things easier for you:
> 
> This chapter contains religious stuff in the "second verse" so I have put the priest's sermon in italics. You can skip it. It's just "background noise" and it's not mandatory to read. You can if you want to. You will keep up even if you don't read them. I made it that way. 
> 
> And I'm babbling again. Sorry. Enjoy.

**_"An inmate from Teiko Federal Prison is attempting to contact you. To accept the call, please press one."_ **

Momoi's thumb hovered over her iPhone. She was extremely uncertain. Should she answer? She felt guilty, yes. Extremely guilty. It wasn't Kuroko's fault that she didn't come to see him. Momoi was being too selfish. Finally she decided to accept the call. "Hey, Tetsu-kun," she attempted to sound cheerful, already thinking how to explain her absence. "How are you doing?"

_"You didn't come."_

Momoi sighed quietly. Maybe she should tell him the truth. NO. I can't do that. Momoi cleared her voice and smiled gently. It was for Kuroko's best. "Your parents showed up on my doorstep," she blurted out, not really thinking how sick that lie was. Momoi listened as the line went quiet for a while. "Tetsu-kun?" she asked quietly.

_"Did you call them? I told you not to-"_

"I didn't do anything!" Momoi nearly yelled to the phone, slumping down on a kitchen chair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

_"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suspected something like that."_

Momoi closed her eyes, fighting back tears that were threathening to spill. "They just wanted to know how you were doing. They were worried," she whispered, trying to keep her voice even. Momoi wasn't exactly sure how Kuroko's parents even looked like. She had never seen them before. She had never even talked to them. This was a horrible lie. "They asked if you could put them on your visitor list, but I said you didn't want to meet them," Momoi continued speaking, trying to choose her words carefully.

_"Worried? Are you sure they were my parents? Are you okay? They didn't do anything to you, did they? Did they hurt you?"_

Momoi's eyes widened a little. Kuroko had apparently been hiding things from her, again. It was making her angry. First it was Mayuzumi's case and now it was his parents. The concern in Kuroko's voice quickly pushed those thoughts aside. There he was, inside a goddamn prison and he was worried about her well-being. And yet she was spewing lies through her lips. "Very positive. I'm okay, they didn't do anything to me... Why would they do such thing? That prison is seriously making you crazy."

There was a long silence after Momoi's words. She knew she had overstepped. "Tetsu-kun. I did not mean that," she said slowly and quietly, not wanting to end the phone call like this. Momoi was trying not to make Kuroko upset, but she was doing the exact opposite.

 _"No, you're right."_ A long pause. _"Things got a bit out of hand, but I'm doing better now. I'm in the puppy program. I thought that maybe you could take Nigou after his training is complete. I think it could take at least two years and then you could take him. Aomine-kun and Kise-kun thought he looked like me and they actually suggested it. I don't want him to be sent to the military or-"_

"Tetsu-kun, wait," Momoi said, guilt nearly ripping her chest apart. She put a hand over her mouth and took a deep breath. "You know how much I adore dogs, but I'm allergic to them. Terribly allergic. Don't you remember?" she asked, trying to sound sincere. Momoi wiped her tears. "I'd love to take him, but it could be bad if he can't come close to me. You know, he'd feel lonely."

_"Oh... I guess I forgot about that. I believe the prison has made me forgot things that aren't as important anymore. I mean... I don't mean you're not important. I love you. It's just that..."_

Momoi shook her head. This was so wrong, in so many levels. "I know, I know. I love you too," she hurried to say, feeling how her stomach had started to feel cold from all the lies. What is our relationship turning into? Momoi licked her lips. "Have you stopped smoking?" she tried to sound a little bit more cheerful. "It's a really bad habit, Tetsu-kun."

_"I'm being honest. I'm not going to stop until there are only few months left to my sentence. I need to have something to call my nerves."_

"I appreciate your honesty," Momoi said, smile falling from her face. Kuroko was so honest, yet nearly all what Momoi had spoken to him today, was a lie. "Anything else interesting happening in there? Some funny stories?"

_"Yeah, but I'm not sure if you really want to hear it."_

"Shoot it. I haven't heard your voice in ages. I want to hear everything."

_"Fine. But don't freak out, okay? We had this guy who actually managed to cut his kneecap out and used it as an ashtray. Okay? Murasakibara-kun said it happened two years ago. So that's not even the craziest thing he did. So few days ago he cut a small piece of flesh off of his hip and mailed it to the state corrections commissioner with a letter stating that he was going to get out even if he had to mail himself out a piece at a time."_

Momoi blinked. Somehow she wasn't sure if she liked this story. It sounded ridiculous and she sincerely hoped that Kuroko wouldn't really lose his mind while being in there. "Does the story continue...?"

_"Yes. The funny part is here: Apparently the commissioner really is a stickler for the rules or he has a sense of humor. That inmate got a few more years added to his sentence for escape. It's actually a correct approach since it is considered escape if even your pinky is outside of the fence. Fucking ridiculous."._

"Tetsu-kun, mind the language," Momoi sighed quietly, not really finding anything funny about Kuroko's story, even though he was chuckling quietly on the other side. Apparently prison made your humor a lot darker. "Anything less crude stories?"

_"No... Actually we just talk what we're going to do after we're released. Out of our little group, Aomine-kun is sitting the longest. I'm coming second."_

Momoi's eyes went watery again. "Yeah... It's a long time. Fifteen years..."

_"Yeah. Hey, listen. I have to hang up now. Kise-kun wants to call her mother. You're coming on Wednesday?"_

"If I can get some time off from work. It's a long way to travel," Momoi said quietly, scratching the surface of the table with her painted nails.

_"Okay. I'll call you on Wednesday morning. Gotta go now. I love you. Goodbye."_

"Love you too. Bye," Momoi ended the call and put the phone on the table. She carefully touched her belly. Things were getting so much more complicated.

 

* * *

 

"I think she is coming on Wednesday," Kuroko smiled, petting Nigou and trying to keep him quiet. It was Kuroko's first time in chapel. Takao had come to fetch him for the service. It was actually nice. He hadn't talked with Takao after their chat in the library. "She was excited to hear stories from here."

Takao grinned. "Of course she is. Let me tell you, the most interesting stories come from the prisons. It would be weird if she wasn't interested. Which one you told her?" Takao asked casually. The service wasn't starting for another ten minutes so they had time for a little chitchat.

"The one about Nebuya."

Takao made a face. "You do know that girls are a bit more delicate than male prisoners?" he asked, faking a small wince. He laughed it off brightly and clapped Kuroko's back. "I hope that was the payback when she didn't come to visit you."

Kuroko shrugged his shoulders, trying to not smirk. "She asked for a story. I provided," he chuckled and covered his mouth. "Oh my god, I am a horrible person."

Takao hushed. "You shouldn't use your Lord's name with no purpose. This His room. Be a bit more mindful," Takao scolded Kuroko lightly and pointed forward. "It's starting. First, we sing an opening song."

"I don't know the ly-"

Takao hushed again. "Speak quietly," he whispered. "You don't have to know them. Just listen us to sing, it's okay. It's not about singing, it's about sending the message."

Kuroko was bewildered. Okay, maybe he was just going to listen then. The song was uplifting, it made him feel more relaxed. He didn't understand much of it, but all in all, it was a very nice song. It was weird to hear inmates singing together, loving someone together. He had never felt anything like this.

_"During WWII, six Navy pilots left their aircraft carrier on a mission. Afterwards, they tried to return to their ship shortly after dark. But the captain had ordered ‘lights out’ on the ship. That means that the ship was in total darkness. And if you’ve never been out in the middle of the ocean in pitch black conditions – you’d be amazed at how dark, dark can be."_

Kuroko raised his eyes to listen to the sermons, as Takao had told him. Today's topic was abandonment and somehow it made the bluenette a bit too anxious. He gnawed his bottom lip and listened to the priest talking at the front.

"The priest is Kasamatsu Yukio," Takao whispered into Kuroko's ear. "Kise has a crush on him, but he can't tell him because it's a sin to love another man. I don't particulary believe in that sin, but I think Kasamatsu does."

Kuroko's eyes widened slightly. So, he had sinned just a while back. With Aomine. And now he was suddenly trying to be a good christian. Oh dear lord.

_"Over and over the frantic pilots radioed, asking for just one light so they could see the ship in order to land. But the pilots were told that the blackout could not be lifted. After several appeals and denials of their request, the ship’s operator turned off the switch to break radio contact. The pilots were forced to ditch their planes in the ocean."_

"I thought Kise-kun has a crush on Aomine-kun," Kuroko whispered back, trying to keep his voice as quiet as could. Thankfully, he has a soft voice to begin with. The bluenette hushed when Nigou had started to whine on his lap.

Takao hummed quietly, thinking about Kuroko's words carefully. "I thought Aomine has a crush on you," Takao whispered back and he saw how Kuroko's cheeks had started to get a red tone. "Oh shit. Are you guys...?"

_"I wonder what these pilots were feeling as they tried to return home. Can you imagine the feeling of abandonment? Why, yes… to get a sense and feel for abandonment, all we need to do is to live life. One lazy summer afternoon, when I was a boy – 12 years old – I picked up the telephone. It was mom and it was great to hear from her because she had been gone for three days. And she said, “Son, do you want to come with me? I’m not going to return home.” At that time, all I can remember is the room collapsing in on me. I remember a no-win situation: Leave home - and my dad - to be with mom? Or, stay home with my dad and not be with mom? All I remember is an ache that started in the pit of my stomach that quickly grew and engulfed me."_

"No!" Kuroko hissed a bit too loudly and Kasamatsu had set his eyes towards the gossiping duo. The whole chapel went silent for a while. "I... Uh... I was just feeling the pain in my chest. I had a similar situation when I was younger... although it was certainly different," he explained quietly and closed his eyes. Can you get a shot from disturbing the service?! Kuroko gave a harsh glare at Takao, who tried to stiffle his laugh. "Shut up," Kuroko whispered to Takao, whose eyes had started to water from holding his laughter.

Kasamatsu let a soft smile spread on his lips. "Lost lamb, would you stay after the service?"

Kuroko nodded frantically, not wanting to cause a scene in front of the entire community. This was utterly embarrassing. When Kasamatsu returned to his sermon, Kuroko let out a quiet sigh of relief. "I can believe I saved myself," he whispered quietly, trying to calm his beating heart.

Takao wiped his eyes and shook his head. "Oh man. I've never seen anything this funny for a while. I mean Harasawa's shit was hilarious, but man... You managed to save yourself in a chapel," he giggled. "Okay, so you and Aomine aren't a thing, then?"

"No, we're not," Kuroko whispered and sighed again. Why were they gossiping in a chapel? They could go to the library and talk in there. He thought Takao was a good christian. Was this the requirement of a good christian? Kuroko didn't want to know.

_"How about you? Where and when and how has that feeling hit you? Maybe you can identify with that today. Have you ever felt abandoned? Does it feel like you are all alone? If you’ve felt this and dealt with that ache in your own life, then you have a sense for some of the events that happened on that first Holy Thursday."_

Takao nodded. "I kissed Shin-chan yesterday."

Kuroko nearly choked on his spit and he turned to look into Takao's blue eyes. "He has a homophobia! What were you thinking? I thought you were a good christian!" Kuroko hissed quietly, keeping his voice down. Kasamatsu had no need to know that Takao had sinned yesterday with his C.O. "Are you mad?"

"He is just a tsundere. Besides, I just told you, I don't believe in that particular sin," Takao grinned and poked Kuroko's cheek with his index finger. "We have a thing. Don't tell anyone. I don't get any special service because of it anyways," he whispered a bit more seriously. "You and me, we're like best mates, okay? You can't tell anyone."

Kuroko kept staring and carefully nodded. "I won't tell," he murmured, not really knowing what he would even do with that kind of information. The bluenette did not want to ruin anyone's life, much less Takao's. He was a very good guy. What did he even do to end up in here?

_"Jesus had begun to prepare his disciples well before his arrest. He told them what was going to happen to Him – how He would be arrested; How He would be mistreated and suffer many things at the hands of the teachers of the law. How He would be killed. And the scriptures tell us that the disciples were greatly saddened. They were troubled. They experienced that feeling in the pit of the stomach when Jesus told them that He would be arrested and killed. But there was abandonment that would move in a number of directions."_

"Good," Takao whispered, glancing over Kuroko. "About how you saved yourself from Kasamatsu's wrath..." he continued, moving his eyes back towards their priest. "What was your childhood like? You almost seemed a bit too honest."

Kuroko averted his gaze to Nigou's fluffy ears and he scratched them absent-mindedly. "I'll tell you some other time," he smiled a little. "How long are you going to stay here?" Kuroko asked, not really wanting Takao to go away anytime soon.

"Well, you have time. I still got 98 months left," Takao smiled, ruffling Kuroko's hair affectionately. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Kuroko smiled and elbowed Takao's ribs gently. "I wish," he chuckled, and tried to pay attention to the sermon. "Do you want to sit with us? At lunch I mean," Kuroko carefully asked. He didn't actually know if he could invite someone, but he really wanted Takao to be one of their little group.

Takao's eyes flickered back to Kuroko. He was in a shock. He didn't know what to say. "You know, I'm more than a little bit terrfied of your prince in a shining armor," Takao whispered, getting ahivers just thinking about Akashi.

"P.. P-prince?" Kuroko spluttered, not really knowing what Takao meant. "He's not my prince. I thought you that you thought Aomine-kun has a crush on me. Akashi-kun is a person who isn't obsessed by anyone or anything, he said so just a while back."

"Ohhh~? So you wish he'd be obsessed about you?" Takao waggled his eyebrows and shook his head. "Nah, I'm pretty content sitting with Miyaji and Kimura. I really appreciate your offer. We can still have our time together in library and in here."

Kuroko blushed and resisted the urge to smack Takao's head in. "You're unbelievable."

"You sound like a teenage girl," Takao retorted to Kuroko's blushing and comment. "Really, you have no imagination."

_"On the night that Christ was betrayed, He took bread. And after giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying, “Take and eat, this is my body given for you for the remission of your sins. This do in remembrance of me.” Then He took the cup when He had supped, and after giving thanks He gave it to them saying, “Drink ye all of it; this cup is the new covenant in my blood shed for you for the remission of your sins. This do in remembrance of me.”_

"I can never look at the bread and wine the same again after hearing that," Kuroko whispered, when he heard what Kasamatsu said about bread being Christ's body and wine being His blood. He felt kind of sick of all the bread he had consumed at the breakfast.

Takao snorted quietly. "Well, I can assure you that you won't see wine in fifteen years," he chuckled and wiped some tears from his eyes again. Was he seriously holding his laughter again?

"Thank you for reminding me."

_"In doing this, Jesus not only fulfilled the Old Testament Passover that the Israelites had been celebrating for centuries, but Jesus also left for us a new commandment – a commandment of grace – offered in love."_

"Seriously though," Kuroko continued soon after. "Aslan never told anyone to eat his body or drink his blood. Is this Jesus some kind of creep?" he whispered, trying to remember the bits and pieces from the Chronicles of Narnia.

Takao's eyes widened and he burst out in a loud laugh. Kuroko's eyes also widened in horror when Kasamatsu locked his icy eyes back to them. "Takao-kun..." Kuroko murmured quietly, elbowing him a lot harsher than before. "You better explain your indecency to Kasamatsu-san."

Takao shook his head. "No, that wasn't my fault. Kuroko was just comparing Aslan and Jesus, our savior, and the way he said it was funny. It wasn't indecent. I appreciate our Lord and the Savior.

Kuroko spluttered once again, and some of the other inmates had started snorting and laughing too. "You betrayed me!" he gasped and smacked Takao's head with his hand.

"Calm down," Kasamatsu tried to coax the duo gently, but when the boys wouldn't stop bickering and fighting, he finally lost it. **"If you two fuckers can't figure this out in next ten seconds, I will kick you so hard you will see the holy light ascending from the heavens!** "

Kuroko and Takao both shut their mouths and stared at Kasamatsu with wide eyes. "We are very sorry to have caused trouble for you, Kasamatsu-san," they said in unison and the service continued.

 

* * *

 

"I wish I had an video camera," Akashi chuckled quietly as the group was having their lunch in the dining hall. He was eyeing Kuroko. "I've never seen anything like this happen in a chapel."

Kuroko blushed wildly. "You were there?" he asked, eyes wide. "Do you believe in God?"

Aomine laughed so hard he choked on his spaghetti. Kise had to pat his back so that he could regain his composure. "Oh fuck, Tetsu. I wish I could've seen Kasamatsu's face. I heard he rarely loses it, but when he does... Holy shit. Takao is good company for you. Invite him over sometimes."

"I believe that if you attend the service every Sunday, you believe in God, Tetsuya," Akashi informed the blushing boy in front of him. He offered Kuroko a yogurt, after giving them to the rest of their group. "I thought you didn't believe in God."

Kuroko glared at Aomine. "He has a very bad influence on me," he snapped gently and turned his eyes towards Akashi. "I didn't. But Takao-kun told me about the similarities in Narnia and your religion, so it piqued my interest. I've never studied the bible."

"Oh!" Kise suddenly remembered. "You stayed after the ceremony. What did you talk about?"

Kuroko paled a little, dipping his spoon into the yogurt. "About my childhood," he whispered, not wanting to share any more than that. "I'd appreciate if you didn't pry too much."

Kise pouted and scooted closer to Kuroko. "If I'm not allowed to pry too much, I'm going to pry just a little. Was your childhood violent or miserable in other ways?"

Kuroko's grip on his spoon hardened, which made Akashi a bit more alert. The redhead placed his hand on Kuroko's. "You're not going to stab anyone with that, are you?" Akashi asked gently, and Kuroko loosened his grip a little. "Good."

Kuroko took a deep breath and turned to look at Kise. Their table was quiet, except for Murasakibara who kept eating a bit too loudly for Kuroko's tastes. "Miserable and violent in every single way. That is all you need to know. No more prying."

Kise furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly, turning his eyes away from Kuroko. Sometimes Kise forgot that some people have had very different lives. Kise forgot that some kids actually suffered from violent parents. He had great parents. He had never been a problem child. Even his crime had been for a good cause. "If you want to talk about it..."

Kuroko's eyes softened at Kise's tone and he nodded. "I know. Thank you, Kise-kun. I appreciate it," he said, squeezing Kise's hand slightly.

 

* * *

 

_"Ryouta! Baby, the camera is that way!" my mother ushered from the sofas, and I held back a small giggle. I turned towards the camera, posing with a bright smile._

_I really enjoyed being in front of the camera. I loved being the center of attention. I loved wearing brand new clothes. I loved the smell of the studios. I loved the sound the camera made as it snapped a picture of me._

_"Don't you think he is a bit young to start modeling?" my manager had asked from my mother. We were sitting in a cafeteria, taking a small break from the shoot. "He's only six years old. It might bring him some trouble later."_

_"My Ryouta would never have any problems. He is the cutest six year old you can find from this country. Ryouta just needs to learn how to take care of his appearance."_

_I looked up to my mom, not really understanding what my manager meant about having troubles. "I'm a cool kid."_

_"See? There are no troubles whatsoever!_

 

* * *

 

Kise was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. He touched his reflection, watching as his lips started to quiver. Kise's fingers returned to his own face and he could feel his skin under his fingertips. His skin was dry. They didn't have any proper skin care products in the commissary.

Kise lifted his shirt a little, staring at his stomach that had started to lose its muscle. He used to have a great body before coming in here. Now Kise didn't have time to work out. His work was like that; you'd never know when Imayoshi called him behind the wheel and you had to be ready.

He was disgusted of himself. Sometimes he hid himself in the toilet stall and cried, because nothing about him was attractive anymore. Kise swallowed back a bile in his throat. The blonde tried to force himself to look at the mirror again. To drink all the imperfections he had gained over the months he had been in here. _Yes, be disgusted of yourself._ Kise wiped his eyes carefully.

 _You're never going to find anyone like this,_ Kise thought angrily, trying to make himself feel worse. _When you get out, everyone knows you were a prisoner. You're a loser._ Kise's breath hitched and he slammed his fist against the sink. _Even your mom said you have started to look a bit more chubby. Am I getting fat?_ The blonde hurled around when his lunch had started to climb up from his stomach. He barely made it to the toilet. Kise emptied his stomach into the bowl, trying to regain his composure.

 _I wonder if any modeling agency will want me after I get out_ , Kise sighed quietly and flushed the toilet, watching his lunch go down with the water.

"You okay in there?"

Kise jumped at the voice. Someone was in the stall next to his. "Yes!" he cheerfully laughed. "It seems like the lunch made my stomach a bit upset, that's all," the blonde babbled and came out of the stall. He washed his hands and mouth by the sink and dried his hand with paper.

Haizaki opened the stall door after flushing. "Oh, it was just you," he mumbled quietly and also walked to the sink. "I hope you choke on your barf next time."

"You're so mean," Kise wailed, and tried to sound deeply hurt. After that he smirked and leaned against the sink. "Who did you thought I was? Were you expecting someone?" he asked, one of his blonde eyebrows raising a little. "Didn't take you for someone who'd be concerned about the others."

Haizaki pointed at the stall. "Thought it might be Tetsuya," Haizaki said and shrugged his shoulders. "He used to snort in that stall. First times he got really nauseous."

Kise narrowed his eyes. "He doesn't do that anymore," he informed Haizaki quietly, taking few steps towards the slightly smaller man. "You and Hanamiya should back the fuck off."

"Oh?" Haizaki smiled. "Are you sure he isn't doing it anymore?"

Kise's eyes widened a little. What if Kuroko was lying? No, this was Haizaki. Kise doesn't have any reason to believe his words. "Yes," he hissed, grabbing Haizaki's collar. "Akashicchi took the fall for him. Kurokocchi would never betray his trust," Kise growled.

Haizaki smacked Kise's hands away from him. "No need to get so angry. It was a hypothetical theory. Come on, he's way too **pure** to do things like that," he said, leaning against the sink in wonder. "But then again, I kind of wonder how his ass feels like. I bet Aomine would kno-"

Kise's fist connected with Haizaki's face. The smaller one landed on his butt and Kise stepped over his body. "I hope someone will kill your babies with fire if you ever decide to have them," he hissed, walking away from the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

"Oh shit," Aomine toppled over from his laugh. He couldn't even breathe anymore. "I thought laughing will give you more years, but... Guys...You need to stop," Aomine wheezed and wiped his eyes. He stared into Kise's eyes. "Did you really hit him in the face?"

"Kise-kun has turned into a caveman," Kuroko declared, trying to stiffle his laugh.

Kise blushed. "I was standing up for you two! Don't laugh at me," Kise complained, not really wanting to burst out laughing after telling Aomine and Kuroko not to. He was having a hard time containing his laughter though. "You should've seen his face."

Akashi picked at his dinner, observing the cheerful scene in front of his eyes. His eyes went from Aomine to Kise and from Kise to Kuroko. He couldn't help but smile softly. Sometimes you needed to do sacrifices and right now Akashi didn't regret anything he had done these past few years.

After all, he got to meet all these wonderful people. He closed his eyes, suddenly starting to laugh too.

Aomine and Kise turned to look at Akashi. "You are laughing," Aomine muttered. "Are you okay?"

Akashi covered his mouth with his pale hand and felt heat rising to his cheeks. "I'm happy, Daiki. I'm just... happy."

Aomine winked towards Kuroko and then he started laughing again with Kise. Yet Kuroko had no idea what was happening at their table.

"I'm happy too," Kuroko said, tilting his head to the side. "At least as happy as you can be in a prison."


	7. Don't call me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You cheated on me," Kuroko finally got enough guts to say it and she stared into Momoi's raging pink eyes. "I was waiting you, behind that glass," he said and pointed where Akashi was now waiting him. "While you were in a bed, with another man."
> 
> Momoi was slightly surprised that Kuroko was keeping his voice calm. For a second the girl was afraid she might have completely broken him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll babes! I'm currently writing chapter nine and I finally know how to make the plot go forward. Plot twists, cliffhangers, you name it. Anyways, things are going to get a bit difficult again. 
> 
> AND OH MY GOD, so many HITS. Thank you so much for being interested in this story and your continues support. I don't have time to answer every single comment, but I always read them with warmth in my heart. Thank you. ♥

"I think you should take Nigou."

Kagami stared into Kuroko's blue eyes. They were sitting in the library, behind a bookcase. Usually when they wanted to talk, they had to do it in secret. You shouldn't be friends with the guards, but Kuroko had somehow wiggled his way into Kagami's heart. Kagami's eyes landed on the dog that was sleeping few meters away from them. Kuroko had done great job training him. "I can't... handle dogs," Kagami admitted, already feeling shivers running up and down his arms.

Kuroko pouted. "My fiancé can't take him since she is allergic to them," he said, even though the bluenette was quite sure Momoi used to have a small poodle when she was a child. Kuroko shook his head. "She doesn't want him to feel lonely in the house."

Kagami sighed quietly. "Give it to Kise once he gets out. He is the first one to leave from your group, isn't he?" he offered, not wanting to have a conversation about Nigou. He had decided not to be friends with Nigou, so Kuroko's personal dog assistant was Imayoshi. Imayoshi liked dogs, surprisingly. "Imayoshi likes him too."

"Imayoshi would want him to be used as some kind of predatorpolicearmysuperhybrid dog and I don't want that," Kuroko said, his face not giving out any emotion.

"Kuroko... Those kinds of dogs don't even exist."

"Now they do!"

Kagami groaned. He didn't know whether he liked this Kuroko, or the Kuroko who had tried to stab him with a plastic fork. This Kuroko was extremely childish. "Fine. If they exist, I'm going to make Nigou into predatorpolicearmysuperhybrid dog."

Kuroko huffed and stood up from his chair. "It's Wednesday. Escort me to the visitng room."

"I don't have obligation to do that," Kagami said, also getting up from the chair. He watched as Nigou perched up from his corner and jogged to Kuroko's side. Kagami backed to the wall as the small dog walked by his feet. "I will not escort you."

Kuroko lifted Nigou from the ground and carried him out of the library. He knew that Kagami was still following him, even though they had some distance between them. "Kagami-kun, I am very serious about this. I don't want a stranger to come and take him away from me," he said, wondering if Kagami was going to answer to his retort.

Kagami decided not to say anything. It was better to just let this conversation to die, rather than keep it going. He wasn't going to budge from this. Kagami was willing to do a lot that Kuroko would be comfortable around here, but that dog was not part of his plan. "You going to bring the dog to see your fiancé?"

Kuroko only then realized that he couldn't do that if Momoi was allergic to him. Imayoshi couldn't watch over him either since he was in charge of the visiting room today. Kuroko gnawed his bottom lip, turning to look at Kagami with puppy eyes. "I can't leave him with an inmate," he wailed quietly.

Kagami blushed when Kuroko suddenly went all dog eyes to him. He started to splutter incoherently and he turned his back towards Kuroko. "No. Go to Furihashi. I will not take the mutt."

"He would just kick him around," Kuroko murmured, still trying to be extremely adorable. "Midorima-kun has appointments and Kiyoshi-kun is out today," he tugged Kagami's shirt with his slender fingers. "Please."

"I already said no," Kagami growled and turned to look at Kuroko, who looked like he was on verge of tears. Oh shit. "Hey, don't start crying," he hastily said and looked around cautiously. It wouldn't look good if someone saw his babying an inmate. "Look, I know what we're going to do. We're going to take him to an inmate who has never been in SHU and who has never been given any shots. With my permission, you can leave Nigou to him."

Kuroko's face hardened. "I'm not going to leave him with a stranger."

"Who said we were going to leave him with a stranger?"

 

* * *

 

"I do not like dogs who won't obey me."

Kagami massaged his face with his hand. "Akashi. Just fucking do it. Kuroko was nearly having a crying fit in the corridor because he can't take him to his fiancé," he tried to dig out Akashi's soft spot for Kuroko. "She's allergic."

"Good. I hope she chokes on dog hair," Akashi spat, anger flashing behind his eyes. "And I want to see that happen," he exclaimed and cracked his fingers. "Tetsuya deserves better. I don't believe in anything that woman tells him."

"I'm going to tell Kuroko you said that," Kagami threathened and tried to give the leash to Akashi. "Just take him. I promised I'd give him to you. Don't let that kid down."

Akashi took the leash from Kagami. "I'm going to return him. You're trying to circle around the rules again, Kagami Taiga. I'm simply following them," he said and walked away from Kagami, not caring about the colourful curses Kagami was throwing at his back.

Kagami followed Akashi all the way to the visiting room door. Momoi and Kuroko were already sitting together in their table. He could practically feel the rage boiling from Akashi. "Don't do anything stupid," he whispered as they walked to the table. Kagami nodded to Imayoshi, who understood the situtation. The dog was being brought back to its owner.

Momoi's eyes flicked up to two redheads. "Tetsu-kun?" she murmured quietly, and the bluenette turned around to look straight into Akashi's furious eyes. "Are you in trouble?"

Akashi smiled sweetly at Momoi. "My, dear girl, he is never in any trouble. My Tetsuya is a wonderful example for this prison," he said and shoved the leash into Kuroko's hands. "Excuse me, but this dog is not willing to obey me. I will not look after it while you are busy with this gorgeous lady over here."

Momoi blushed slightly from the compliments Akashi was throwing at her direction. "I, uh, I don't think the dog will be a problem," she chuckled quietly, not wanting to upset this shorter redhead.

Akashi narrowed his eyes a little and lifted the dog from the ground. He gave a Kuroko a hard glare and placed the dog into Momoi's arms. "I will see you at dinner, Tetsuya."

Kagami was staring at the situation with wide eyes. He was quick to continue escorting Akashi away from the visiting room since no one never came to visit the smaller one. "What the actual fuck are you doing?" he asked when Akashi stopped to look through the window.

"I'm helping."

"How is this helping?"

"You'll see."

 

* * *

 

Momoi scratched Nigou from the back of his ears, even though the dog wasn't exactly enjoying her company. "Ohh, he is so cute," she smiled, not really expecting prison dogs to be like this. Only then she noticed that Kuroko was staring at him curiously.

Kuroko licked his lips as he watched the scene in front of his eyes. His eyes carefully glided towards the window, and he saw Akashi standing there, observing. The bluenette turned his eyes back to Momoi. _**Oh**_. "I thought you were allergic."

Momoi felt coldness settle in her stomach and she closed her eyes. "I am. It just usually comes after... Now that you mention it, my neck feels kinds itchy. Could you...?"

Kuroko pursed his lips and shook his head. Everything was going so nicely. Sunday he had said he was happy. He was happy. Now the dread was filling his gut once again and he wanted to question Momoi. Fifteen minutes was awfully little time to sort these kind of things. "You had a fucking poodle."

Momoi cringed. "Poodles are dogs that don't allergize all that much."

Kuroko shook his head. "Your parents would have never allowed you to have a dog if you were allergic," he spat, barely containing his frustration and anger. "Don't lie to me. Have I ever lied to you?"

Momoi grit her teeth together. She was done. "Okay, how about we start with your parents? Huh? Or how about this whole Mayuzumi thing? You may not lie to me, but holy fucking shit, you don't tell me anything!"

Kuroko flinched at her tone. He had never even seen Momoi curse before. Momoi had never been this angry. "I-"

Haizaki turned to look at the situation next to him. Yes, his friends were visiting him. Yes, he had friends. And he couldn't hold his tongue at this point anymore. So he acted like he was talking to his friends. "Guess what? You see that bluenette over there? He went cold turkey just a while back. Heroin. Yeah, I know, freaky. He also took Aomine up his ass sometime ago. I bet he likes it hard," Haizaki drawled loud enough for Momoi and Kuroko to hear.

Kuroko shut his eyes when he realized that Momoi had heard all that from Haizaki. Oh no. "This... This is exactly what I meant," Momoi whispered and shoved the dog towards Kuroko. "You don't tell me anything. You cheated on me with another man! Do you know how embarrassing that is?! And to hear it from another prisoner!?"

"Satsuki-chan. Please sit down," Kuroko whined guietly. He tried to reach for her hand, but Satsuki slapped it. "I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you. I was going to," Kuroko choked on his sob and tried to keep his composure. He really was going to tell her, but not today, not like this. Everything had been going so well. "Please."

The girl in front of him sat back down. Momoi licked her lips, thinking if she should tell the truth or not. But since everything had come to light already on Kuroko's side, Momoi thought the bluenette earned her honest. "I'm pregnant."

Kuroko lifted his head to look into Momoi's eyes, his own blue eyes glistening with hope. His child. It was his child, wasn't it? He pursed his lips. No, he didn't want his daughter or son see him like this. "Is it...?"

"No. It's  not yours. It's Wakamatsu's," Momoi whispered and she lowered her hand to touch her belly. "It happened on the weekend when I was supposed to come see you," she mumbled quietly, not meeting Kuroko's eyes anymore.

Kuroko rested his elbows against the table and buried his face into his hands. "Fuck," he quietly sighed, already feeling his eyes burning from the tears. Everything was going downhill again. Then his sadness started to turn into hatred. "You... You said... You used my parents as a fucking excuse!"

Akashi lifted his hand to his mouth as he watched the couple in the visiting room. The door was open, so he heard quite clearly what they were talking about. It had been a very good idea to wait after all. He turned to look at Kagami.

"Was this your brilliant plan?" Kagami asked, feeling extremely bad for Kuroko. The poor boy was being whipped in front of some inmates and their beloved friends and families. "Is this your concept of helping?"

"No. I didn't expect Haizaki to pull something like that. I think I might have gotten rusty with my planning."

Kagami sighed quietly, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"I have never even seen your parents! Who the hell gets engaged to someone and doesn't even let her meet his parents?!" Momoi hissed. "Maybe I understand now. Maybe your parents just didn't want to see their junkie son ruining his life! You worked in you father's company, yet you never saw him. I bet you lied about that too! Is your whole life just a big fat lie!?"

Kuroko slumped down on his seat, not even wanting to defend himself anymore. Momoi was expecting Wakamatsu's child. Momoi knew that he had used heroin. Momoi also knew that he had had sex with Aomine. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry!? Is that all you are going to say?! Do you think **sorry** is going to cut it?!"

"You cheated on me," Kuroko finally got enough guts to say it and she stared into Momoi's raging pink eyes. "I was waiting you, behind that glass," he said and pointed where Akashi was now waiting him. "While you were in a bed, with another man."

Momoi was slightly surprised that Kuroko was keeping his voice calm. For a second the girl was afraid she might have completely broken him. No. She had to come clean now. "You're going to be here a long, long time, Tetsu-kun. I moved on with my life," Momoi informed, taking her engagement ring from her finger. She looked at it for a long while until she placed it on the table, in front of Kuroko. "Don't call me," she whispered, collected her bag and walked away from the visiting room.

Kuroko watched after her. The ring was laying on the table and he reached for it. The bluenette played with it for a few seconds until he pocketed it and got up from the chair. He whistled Nigou to follow him out of the visiting room.

Kagami decided to step out so that it didn't look like he is too familiar with the inmates in front of him. He exhaled as he saw Kuroko's glassy and teary eyes. That was so heartbreaking.

Akashi wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but when Kuroko buried his face into his shoulder, Akashi had no choice but to wrap his hands around the bluenette's small frame. He felt like he needed to apologize. His plan had gone very badly. _I just wanted to-_

"Thank you," Kuroko murmured, and wrapped his hands around Akashi's waist since he couldn't hug his neck. Akashi was already blocking that opportunity with his arms around the bluenette's shoulders and neck. "She would have never told me."

"Pregnancy is not something you can hide, Tetsuya. You would have figured it out by yourself sooner or later," Akashi said, not wanting to pull away from Kuroko even though Kagami kept saying 'no touching, inmates', 'too close, inmates'. Kagami's voice didn't have much power to it either right now. "I'm terribly sorry that it escalated."

Kuroko grit his teeth together and looked towards Haizaki, who had a smug look on his face. "I want to kill him," he whispered quietly, scaring himself by his words. The worst thing was that he was being completely serious about the whole thing. "He ruined everything."

"Shhh," Akashi hushed quietly. He didn't know what to say about Kuroko's sudden urge to have Haizaki's head on top of a spear. Or something less crude. "You still have me," he murmured quietly. Even if he was shocked about Momoi's sudden need to break up with Kuroko, Akashi was feeling giddy. Kuroko was a free man. He didn't have to feel guilty about doing something he wasn't supposed to.

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows. Yes, he still had Akashi. But he also had Kise and Aomine. And Takao. He had his whole family. This was his family now. It was all he had. "I know," he murmured, sniffling quietly. "I have a family here now."

Akashi wasn't quite happy about Kuroko's wording. Family. He felt his stomach turn cold and he squeezed Kuroko closer to him. "You don't need anyone else," he breathed into Kuroko's ear, feeling the smaller one shiver against him. "I'm going to take care of you. You will never feel abandoned again."

Kuroko nodded, not wanting to drag himself away from Akashi's embrace. But he had no choice when the alarm rang and they had to be ready for the count.

 

* * *

 

"Where is Kurokocchi?" Kise asked as he sat down to their usual table. "The whole gang is here, but Kurokocchi isn't," he complained an puffed his cheeks out a little. "I want Kurokocchi."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Stop being a baby, Kise. You're making me jealous," Aomine joked, shaking his head. "Akashi said that Kuroko wasn't up for the dinner."

"Kuro-chin is so weird," Murasakibara commented and munched on sweet carrots. He licked his fingers. "I don't understand why he doesn't want to eat our marvelous dinner. I spent extra time to do carrots right today."

Himuro smiled gently and pecked his boyfriend's cheek. "You're amazing as always, Atsushi," Himuro praised him. That seemed to calm him down a little and Himuro turned to look at the trio. Akashi was quiet. Aomine was flirting with Kise. Kise was crying after Kuroko. Himuro sighed quietly. "Is Kuroko okay?"

Akashi lifted his eyes from his tray and he directed them towards Himuro. "He needs time to sort out his thoughts. I believe he will be okay eventually," he said, thinking whether he should tell about the bluenette's situation or not. Then again, knowing Haizaki's big mouth, half the prison probably already knew that Kuroko was brutally dumped by his fiancé.

"You gonna tell us or not?" Aomine sighed and turned in his seat so he could look at Akashi better. "He is our friend too. You're way too fixated on him. Somehow you're the one who ends up following him around like a lost puppy. He can fend for himself too, you know," he said in a bored tone, going for his ear again. Akashi was still thinking that Aomine's habit was absolutely disgusting.

"I am not fixated," Akashi calmly stated and wiped his mouth into napkin. "But I will tell you since it was pretty humiliating and he'd probably want me to tell you instead of hearing it from a stranger," he reasoned and put down his fork. "Momoi Satsuki broke their engagement during her visit."

There were collective gasps around the table, except for Murasakibara. Akashi bet a dollar that he wasn't even listening what was being said. "That is not all. When she was supposed to come to visit - you all remember that day -, she was having sex with another man. At least I suppose it was a man, since she is now carrying his child. On top of it, Haizaki had balls to announce to her what Tetsuya had been doing these past two months. Including sleeping with you, Daiki."

Kise dropped his fork. "Oh no."

Aomine winced and felt downright guilty about everything that he had done to Kuroko. "And now... You allowed Tetsu to stay alone in his dorms? Are you sure that is a wise thing to do?" he asked, remembering the last time Kuroko was left to his own devices.

"He has Nigou," Kise reminded Aomine, trying to make him relax a little. "He would never do something like that. He treats the dog as if he was his own child," he smiled, poking the food with his fork. "I could go check on him. I'm not feeling all that hungry anyways."

Aomine narrowed his eyes. "You have barely touched your food."

Kise rolled his eyes and laughed. "Come on, I just said I'm not feeling all that hungry. It's just one of those days, you know?" he chuckled. The blonde could feel a lot of eyes staring right into his soul. "What? Guuuuuys."

Akashi hummed quietly, watching Kise's tray critically. "Fine. You can leave," he said, giving Kise a very serious look. "But you will eat breakfast tomorrow."

Kise laughed at Akashi's serious face. "Why are you guys so serious? Tomorrow is a new day and I bet I'm starving by tomorrow morning," he said and got up from his chair. "Murasakibaracchi, you can have my portion."

"Eeeeh~? Kise-chin~? Are you okay?" Murasakibara asked as he accepted Kise's tray with slight hesitation. "if you're hungry later, swing by the kitchen. I'll give you something."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll swing by," Kise smiled and ruffled Aomine's hair as he stepped away from the table. "See you later guys~!"

Aomine turned to look at Akashi after Kise had disappeared through the doors. "You've seen it too, haven't you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, but I think there is nothing we can do about it," Akashi said quietly. "It's in his own head, after all."

Aomine sighed quietly. "It's one after another, huh..."


	8. You're beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko's eyes drifted from the screen to Akashi's eyes. They looked so sad. He had never seen Akashi so sad. He then looked at the hand on his thigh and he carefully placed his hand over Akashi's. The redhead had small callouses on his hands, but it didn't bother Kuroko at all. He drove a lot. He fixed cars. He had passion for them. He squeezed Akashi's hand gently and resumed to watch the movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a day, whoohoo, boy I'm on fire. I wrote two chapters today and because I did that, I wanted to give you a special treat. Yup. But shit's about to go down. I'm sorry 'bout that. BUT BEFORE THAT FLUFF ENSUES.

_What the fuck are you doing!?"_

_I winced at my mother's tone and I hid myself under the table. She didn't notice where I went. She was drunk again. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and waited until she was out of the kitchen. I took a deep breath and tiptoed to the fridge, trying to find something that contained something else than alcohol._

_Something shattered in the living room and I froze. My heart was beating wildly. My dad was yelling. My mother was also yelling. They were fighting. I carefully peeked to the living room, trying to keep myself hidden. When they didn't notice me, I stepped a little bit closer. "Mom? Dad?" I asked, but they didn't even hear me. It was like they couldn't even see me._

_My father had always liked me. My mom was a very kind lady too - when she was sober. Obviously my drunken mom hated me and my dad equally. My mom was an accountant. My dad was a hunter. He taught me how to use guns. My mom taught me how to pay bills._

_It was first time when I actually saw my dad hit my mom. I didn't feel bad, even though it looked like a wrong thing to do. I never really understood what pain was, because no one never raised a hand to my face. My mom wasn't violent. I just didn't like her calling me names. And sometimes I was afraid she might hurt me._

_I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't realize what was happening in front of my eyes. And when I did, it was all too late. My ears were ringing from the loud bang, and I was covered in my mother's blood._

_My dad had a shotgun in his hands. "Shougo...?"_

 

* * *

 

Kuroko stared at the empty bunk on the other side of his cubicle. There weren't any pictures on the walls, nothing on the desk either. Mitobe was a person who adored his family. He always kept pictures close to him. Kuroko turned around to see if Koganei was at his cubicle. "Koganei-kun?" he asked, watching him eat a banana. "Where is Mitobe-kun?"

Koganei raised his eyes to Kuroko's. The brunette was lying on his bed, so he was looking up. "He didn't tell you?" he asked and sat up. "He got out today morning."

Kuroko's eyes moved from Koganei to the empty bed next to him. Suddenly, he felt extremely sad. The bluenette had been so used to Mitobe's care and now, just like that, he was walking outside of these walls. "Really...?" he murmured, feeling an ache in his heart. "Am I going to be alone now?"

"Nah, probably not. You'll get a new mate in no time," Koganei said with a lazy smile. "You just gotta hope he is going to be as tidy as Mitobe," he continued with mouth full of the sweet fruit.

Kuroko turned back to Koganei and smiled slightly. "True."

 

* * *

 

"You have got to be kidding me," Kuroko whispered later that evening. true, Koganei was right that he was going to get a new mate in no time. But he was not mentally prepared for this. Not for this guy, who was standing tall in front of him. "Haizaki-kun. Tell me, this is a joke."

Haizaki shook his head. "I **was** in the ghetto. The reason why I got moved here was because your dear, little Akashi made it very clear to Midorima, that he will not tolerate my presence in his ghetto," he explained and made himself comfortable on Mitobe's old bed. "What Akashi didn't know was that the only available bunk in the suburban's-"

"Is next to mine," Kuroko finished, closing his eyes. No. He needed to lay down the rules the same way Mitobe and Hyuuga had. This was going to be important, maybe they could be friends. yes, maybe they could. "I have few rules concerning th-"

Haizaki stood up from his bed, and made Kuroko to back down to his own bed. "No. We are doing this in my way, you little shit," Haizaki growled and pinched Kuroko's nose. "I have been here a lot longer than you. Just because Akashi has accepted you, doesn't mean that I have to."

"Are you still mad at Kise-kun?"

Haizaki's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "You have guts," he chuckled and grabbed a fistful of Kuroko's blue hair. "I like them feisty."

Kuroko slapped Haizaki's hand away. "And you ruined my engagement," he said with a sour look on his face. Kuroko didn't show it, but he was hurt. He had tried to call Momoi multiple times, but she never picked up the phone or she just hang up. "I don't have anyone waiting for me when I get out. Because of you."

"And that concerns me how?" Haizaki asked and walked back to his own bed. He flopped down, staring into Kuroko's eyes. "Only thing you are going to miss in that relationship is the fucking jacuzzi. She didn't even want your stupid mutt."

Nigou growled quietly under Kuroko's bed and stared into Haizaki's eyes. Kuroko hushed him. The dog wasn't supposed to be aggressive towards others. "Nigou, you have to behave even if he is the dickest of all dicks."

"Oh, but I'm sure you would love to have my dick. I've seen Aomine's. My dick is much more-"

"Haizaki-kun. What do you want from me?" Kuroko sighed quietly, not buying Haizaki's explanation from the earlier.

"You're wearing her ring. You aren't allowed to do that," Haizaki said and pointed to his ring finger. "You could hurt someone with that diamond. Or someone could chop your finger off for it. I can't believe Imayoshi didn't notice her giving it to you."

Kuroko hid his left hand from Haizaki's sight. "You will keep your side of the room clean. You will not cause any trouble for me. Are we clear?"

Haizaki grinned, dusting his trousers. "Crystal~"

 

* * *

 

Kuroko was sitting next to Akashi in the movie room. They were going to watch "Tokyo Drift" and Kuroko shared earbuds with the redhead. His earbuds had broken down and now that the engagement with Momoi was nullified, she didn't send him any money to the account anymore. Kuroko was broke. Akashi wanted to share. He was fine with it.

"It's your fault that I'm sharing my room with Haizaki-kun," Kuroko whispered gently. The room was starting to get full and he didn't want to get too much attention. "Where's Aomine-kun and Kise-kun?" he asked.

Akashi turned his eyes towards Kuroko. "I didn't know Rinnosuke was walking out today," he answered calmly. Akashi knew that Mitobe was a good inmate, never fought, never caused any trouble. His sentence was probably cut since he was such a great person. "In the library."

Kuroko's eyes widened a little. "They never go there," he whispered in wonder. "Why would they-"

Akashi chuckled at Kuroko's bewildered expression. He was so innocent, that Kuroko. "No one is there around this time. What do you think they are doing in there?" he whispered hotly into Kuroko's ear and touched his thigh. "I'm giving you hints here."

Kuroko blushed, but made no attempt to push Akashi away from him. "I thought Kise-kun has a crush on Kasamatsu-san," he whispered, trying not to stare at the hand that was resting on his thigh. It was warm. He turned his head towards Akashi, noticing that they don't exactly have a lot of space between them. He could feel Akashi's warm breath on his face. "The priest..."

Akashi hummed, getting a little bit closer to Kuroko. "The movie is starting," he exclaimed and pulled away from Kuroko, leaving the flustered bluenette deal with his own emotions for a while. "Do you want to know how I ended up in the prison?"

Kuroko fought down his blush and he turned to look at the screen. Cars. "Did you kill someone?" he asked quietly. He had always wondered if that had been the case. Akashi gave the vibes of a murderer after all.

"Am I that scary?" Akashi asked, petting Kuroko's thigh with his thumb. "Illegal street racing. I also stole cars. Mostly to sell them," he answered, eyes never leaving the screen in front of them. "Then I got caught. All my cars were taken away from me, except for one. I didn't steal it. I saved it from the junkyard. I fixed it. He's my pride."

Kuroko's eyes drifted from the screen to Akashi's eyes. They looked so sad. He had never seen Akashi so sad. He then looked at the hand on his thigh and he carefully placed his hand over Akashi's. The redhead had small callouses on his hands, but it didn't bother Kuroko at all. He drove a lot. He fixed cars. He had passion for them. He squeezed Akashi's hand gently and resumed to watch the movie.

"What does your pride look like?" Kuroko asked when they were nearing the end of the movie. He felt emotional watching the movie. He could understand why Akashi wanted to go see this movie. It was great, thrilling, sad and funny. He loved it.

Akashi cleared his throat. They watched the scene where Han's car lands on its roof and explodes soon after before Han has a chance to escape, killing him. "The same as the one that just exploded. Mine is just... Red and black," he smiled, missing the thrill off the speed. Everything in that movie screamed for him to go and race again.

Kuroko looked at the floor beneath his feet. His eyes had started to water. "If it weren't for me, you would have already been free. Akashi-kun, you... You are so fucking stupid," he whispered and tried to hide his tears. He wiped them with his free hand quickly. "You took the fall and I haven't given you anything in turn. I still don't understand why you did it."

Akashi was surprised to hear such words from Kuroko's mouth. He knew Kuroko was already crying, but since the boy tried so hard to hide it, Akashi decided not to comment on it. He only squeezed Kuroko's hand a little tighter. Akashi found himself having a little hard time to swallow. "I want to drive with you. Someday," he whispered and lifted Kuroko's pale hand to his lips. "Even if it takes fifteen years, I want to give you a ride."

Kuroko stared as Akashi kissed his left hand. He looked around, but no one had seen their little exchange. That, or they didn't really care. He saw Akashi's eyes land on the ring in his ring finger. Kuroko swallowed gently, watching as Akashi gently let go of his hand.

"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

Kuroko opened his mouth to say something. He longed for the warmth that had radiated from Akashi's hand. The bluenette was sure that his hands was freezing. "You didn't," he blurted out quietly, looking at the ring quietly. What was he thinking? Momoi didn't even want him to call, so why was he still keeping that stupid ring? Kuroko bit his lower lip and took the ring away. He turned to look at Akashi, who was still intently looking at him. "It was acceptable and I enjoyed it."

Akashi smiled gently, reaching for Kuroko's hand again. They finished watching the movie, hand in hand, enjoying the warmth between them.

 

* * *

 

Kise and Aomine were lying on the floor, at the farthest end of the library. They were both out of breath. Kise was a lot more winded than Aomine. "That was the best sex I've ever had," Kise admitted quietly, and snuggled a little bit closer to Aomine. "And I've had a fair share of partners."

"Really?" Aomine asked and pointed at the dusty shelves and the floor around them. "Because I don't find anything sexy about this library," he murmured and turned his head to kiss Kise's lips hungrily. "But I think I'd have enough stamina for round two," he exclaimed.

Kise winced a little when Aomine groped his backside. "Give me a break," he whispered against Aomine's lips. "You're not the one who was to take it you know. I'm going to be sore tomorrow just from this," he smiled and gave Aomine's his shirt. "But I do want to know how long you've had those nipple piercings."

Aomine flicked his nipples with a smug grin plastered on his face. "I've always had them. You've always been so busy to get down to business that you haven't noticed," he said and got dressed slowly. Kise was already done by the time he finally reached for his pants. "We took our sweet time this time."

Kise hummed and flopped down to sit on Aomine's lap. He nuzzled his neck and bit into his skin gently. "I loved it."

"Kise. We need to talk," Aomine sighed when he wrapped his arms around Kise's body. He felt for his waist, ribs and hips. It made him slightly sad. "How long you've been neglecting your eating?" he asked, lifting Kise's head from his shoulder.

"Aominecchi," Kise sighed, smiling brightly at his worried expression. "That face doesn't suit you. I'm fine. I just figured I could start eating a bit healthier, that's all. I even go to run, isn't it great?" he smiled, petting Aomine's short hair while he talked. "There is no reason to worry."

Aomine pinched Kise's nose gently, looking at him with serious eyes. "What if we compromise? You eat everytime you come to the dining hall and then you just run a little bit more?" he offered his thoughts Kise, hoping that he would swallow the bait. But of course, life was never meant to be easy. Fishing was hard too, it was all about luck, really.

"Stop. Stop," Kise sighed, his smile falling from his face. "I'm the least of your worries right now," he continued, trying to look serious for once. "Haizaki is with Kurokocchi. They are sleeping in the same damn cubicle and all you're worried about is my eating patterns."

"Akashi is already looking after Tetsu. No one looks after you," Aomine sighed quietly, fingering Kise's shirt gently with his fingers. "And I can worry about two different persons at the same time."

Kise punched gently Aomine's chest. "Akashicchi is great and all, but... do you really think he can take care of someone? Like literally, **take care**. We don't even know why he is in here," he whispered, pointing that small fact to Aomine. "We don't know if he has raped someone. Killed someone. Yet you're trusting someone you only know based on how he acts around here."

"Well, I have never judged people by their pasts," Aomine retorted and pushed Kise off from his lap. "We should go. It's almost nine," he whispered and pecked Kise's cheek gently. "I trust that Akashi knows what to do. But I don't trust you, Kise."

Kise was confused. Why didn't Aomine trust him? He licked his lips. "You don't... Trust me how?"

"I don't trust you to make good decisions. I don't trust you to take care of yourself."

 

* * *

 

"I thought we made this clear, Haizaki-kun," Kuroko murmured quietly. True, Haizaki had followed his order, but... The bluenette sighed quietly. Kuroko's side of room was complete mess. Sheets thrown haphazardly around, books on his desk were laying on the floors. A mess. Haizaki's side of room was, of course, spotless and clean. "Is that your underwear? I believe that is not my size."

Haizaki sneered from his bed. "I followed your orders, sir. My side of the room is clean, and I haven't caused you any trouble yet. I don't see what's the problem," he said, reaching for one of Kuroko's many books. And yeah, jacked off in those last night. They're filthy, but luckily they are in your side of the room, so it's not really my problem."

"Haizaki-kun. I went to college," Kuroko said and turned to look at the evil looking man who was currently flipping through _Gone with the Wind_. "And I'm pretty sure we are not in the college anymore, pretty far from it actually," the bluenette said and threw the underwear back to Haizaki. They landed on his face and Kuroko couldn't help a small smirk of victory spreading on his face.

Haizaki wasn't fazed and he just threw the underwear back. "Seriously? _Gone with the Wind_? This is like... hundred years old."

"79 years," Kuroko snapped and walked to the Haizaki's side. He grabbed the book from him, giving him his underwear back. "I don't want them," he hissed quietly and went to sit on his own bed. Kuroko was not up for cleaning the mess but he had to, before the count. This was ridiculous. The underwear landed on his head again. "Haiz-"

"I see you two are getting along quite well," Akashi said and leaned against Kuroko's and Haizaki's cubicle. "I don't see blood on the walls so I assume that your first night together went well."

Haizaki scoffed and pointed at the underwear on Kuroko's head. "He's already enamored by the smell of my junk. You could say things are getting a bit serious," he smirked when Kuroko hissed again and threw the underwear across the cubicle. "Feisty. I said I like it feisty."

Akashi sighed quietly when Kuroko and Haizaki continued their childish bickering. He watched the underwear throwing for a while. "Tetsuya," he suddenly said, distracting the boy for a while. "I'll help you with this," Akashi said, and gestured at the mess on the bluenette's floor. "And after that you will walk with me."

Tetsuya blinked sheepishly. "Alright."

 

* * *

 

Walking led them to the shack. Kuroko had tried to save his vanilla flavored cigarettes, so he had yet to try one. Akashi closed the shack's door behind them. The bluenette reached for the cigarettes and matches. It was nice to come here with Akashi again. It was different with him. Only now, Nigou was accompanying them. "This wasn't as nice with Aomine-kun."

Akashi lit up his cigarette, looking slightly surprised by Kuroko's words. He watched the bluenette tear open _Honeyrose_ and he felt a smile tugging at his lips. "You don't have to save those. I can probably get you more if you like them," he said, inhaling smoke and observing Kuroko's fine features. "Why is it nicer with me?"

Kuroko was taken off-guard by Akashi's question. Then the bluenette realized that he should never expect anything less from Akashi Seijuuro. He licked his lips, bringing the cigarette to his lips. "Because it's Akashi-kun," he said, not really knowing a better answer to his question.

Akashi hummed quietly, flicking the cigarette between his fingers. There was something. There was something different between them now. Last time they had been in this shack together was before Kuroko had even thought about giving in to drugs. It was a long, long time ago. Akashi thought about last evening in the movie room, how he had wanted to kiss Kuroko senseless. He had wanted to ravage those pale lips.

_"...shi?"_

Akashi sighed quietly, not even registering that Kuroko's lips were moving, but he didn't hear anything. The bluenette had a pale skin. He knew it was smooth to the touch. Kuroko's hands were extremely soft, like they hadn't been tarnished by this cruel world you call reality. Akashi realized he didn't want anyone else to touch Kuroko's softness. He felt angry again. Aomine had taken advantage of Kuroko's weakness.

"Are you okay?" Kuroko asked, walking a little bit closer to Akashi. "Are you cold?"

The redhead finally snapped out of his trance. Kuroko was standing so close to him. "Yes, I'm sorry. I was daydreaming," he said, smiling slightly at Kuroko's worried face. Yes, daydreaming. He watched Kuroko dumping his cigarette on the ground. He truly had been daydreaming. The redhead wasn't even finished with his own yet. "Tetsuya."

Kuroko turned around to look at Akashi. "Yes?"

"You're beautiful."

The bluenette in front of him looked like he could explode from the embarrassment. Akashi chuckled quietly, reaching for Kuroko's hand. Akashi lifted it to his lips once again and pulled Kuroko a bit more closer. "Do you trust me?" he whispered when they were only millimeters away from each other.

Kuroko looked puzzled, but there was a tint of pink adoring his otherwise pale cheeks. "Yes," he gave simple answer, not really understanding why Akashi asked such a thing.

"Close your eyes."

Kuroko closed his eyes without a hesitation. His heart was beating so fast that the bluenette was afraid it might burst out of his chest. All his senses flared up because he had closed his eyes. He heard Akashi's steady breathing. He smelt Akashi's cigarette. It was menthol. Kuroko felt Akashi gently cupping his neck into his hands. The smell of cigarette was closer now, so Akashi hadn't finished it yet. Suddenly Kuroko was afraid he might accidentally hit his skin with the cigarette.

"Shhhh," Akashi hushed against Kuroko's lips when he felt the boy tensing. "Trust me," he repeated quietly, making sure that the cigarette was away from Kuroko's hair and skin. That was apparently making the boy tense. Kuroko relaxed slightly and Akashi backed him gently against the wall. The redhead brought the cigarette to his lips and took one last inhale before putting it out. Akashi's hand returned to Kuroko's neck and he gently felt for his soft skin. "Are you afraid?"

Kuroko opened his eyes, but quickly close them when Akashi quirked his eyebrow. Right, he wasn't supposed to open them yet. The bluenette tried to calm his racing heart. Was he afraid? To speak the truth, he felt kind of trapped between Akashi and the wall, but... Akashi was warm. "No," he whispered and bit his lower lip gently.

"Oh?" Akashi smiled tenderly, sweeping Kuroko's lower lip with his thumb. He brought his nose to touch Kuroko's cheek and the bluenette's breath hitched. Oh how much he wanted to kiss Kuroko. He wanted to claim him. All these emotions inside of him were foreign and new. But he shouldn't. He shouldn't kiss Kuroko. He tried to pull away, but Kuroko stopped him by pulling his shirt.

"Don't," Kuroko whined quietly, pulling Akashi back to him. He opened his eyes to see what Akashi's face looked like. The redhead in front of him looked sad and maybe a little bit lost. "Please," he whined, trying to hold back his tears. "I-"

Akashi couldn't hold it back anymore. Kuroko was almost crying because he had pulled away. Was this something Kuroko also wanted? The redhead closed the distance between them and their lips gently collided together. Akashi brought his hands back to Kuroko's neck, angling his face into a right position. Kuroko didn't waste any time answering to the gentle kiss. The bluenette didn't remember much how things had turned out with Aomine, but this was something completely different.

The redhead's right hand travelled to Kuroko's hair, tugging it gently. It was so soft to the touch. He had longed for this so long. His left hand travelled to Kuroko's waist, tugging him even closer to him. Akashi brushed his lips against Kuroko's cheek and then his neck. "You are so perfect."

Kuroko gasped quietly. Akashi was attcking his neck with gentle touches and he didn't know where he should put his hands. In the end, both of his hands were in Akashi's red hair, enjoying the softness of it. His eyes were feeling like boiled noodles. If it weren't for Akashi keeping him straight, he might have tumbled to the dirty ground already. "Akashi...kun," he whimpered and closed his eyes tightly when Akashi bit his neck with a little bit more force than necessary. Yet it felt so good.

Akashi lapped Kuroko's neck clean from the blood he had managed to draw out. He pulled away slightly, admiring the red mark adoring the bluenette's pale skin. It was a great contrast, after all. "You're mine," he whispered, claiming Kuroko's lips once again.

Kuroko was able to taste his blood mixed with Akashi's menthol cigarettes. The mix was odd, but somehow endearing. Everything about Akashi was so endearing. Akashi never lost control, but now it felt good to see the redhead baring himself to Kuroko, letting his composure falter. Even if Akashi was in control, Kuroko could feel the slight shivers that went through the redhead's body. He was losing it. Kuroko decided to add some spice to their kiss, and opened his mouth slightly to let Akashi explore him thoroughly.

Akashi easily complied, dragging his tongue against Kuroko's. Kuroko's mouth was hot, and the bluenette tasted like vanilla cigarettes. The taste of vanilla was slightly childish, but the smoke evened it out nicely and Akashi decided that he loved the way Kuroko tasted. He really wanted to feel for Kuroko's ass, but decided against it at the last second. Instead, his hand stayed on Kuroko's lower back.

Eternity after Kuroko was brought back to reality by Nigou's bark. He gently pushed Akashi away from him, blushing wildly. "It's nearly dinnertime. We should get back for the count," he managed to say, taking deep breaths.

Akashi regained his composure, fixed his hair and smiled gently. "Yes. We don't want to get into trouble."

 

* * *

 

"That's a hickey."

Kuroko slapped his hand over his neck and glared Aomine. "It was a mosquito," he explained, and stabbed the tomato on his tray. The bluenette also sent a glare to Akashi's direction, who only had smirk plastered on his lips. "Ferocious mosquito."

Aomine scratched his head, trying to understand why Kuroko was giving a death glare to Akashi. He hadn't even said anything. "Oh? so that means you have a lover and no one tried to take advantage," Aomine declared, leaning forward in his seat. "Is it Takao?"

Kuroko nearly blurted that Takao had a thing with Midorima, but he quickly snapped his mouth shut. That was a close one. "No," he sighed quietly, pouting slightly. "I already told you it was a mosquito. Where is Kise-kun?"

Aomine dismissed Kuroko's question. He had already had a fight with Kise, so he'd rather not live it again by explaining it to the bluenette. "Haizaki?" Shake of head. "Hanamiya?" Shake of head. "Koganei? No fucking way. Uhmm..." Aomine hummed quietly, looking around the dining hall. It couldn't be Kise or Murasakibara, that was for sure. Maybe it was someone who didn't normally hang around Kuroko.

"Aomine-kun. Please, stop," Kuroko sighed, feeling slightly distressed. He didn't want to declare anyone that it was Akashi who had him pinned against the shack's wall. Kuroko felt warmth pooling in his lower stomach and he kicked Akashi's leg gently, mouthing 'everything is your fault'.

Akashi chuckled at Kuroko's mouthing and turned to look at Aomine. "It was me," he said and he heard Kuroko choking on his food. He only spared a quick glance to the bluenette, making sure he wasn't actually dying. "Which means-"

"Holy fuck," Aomine said, dropping his fork. He could only stare. They just had this conversationw ith Kise. They shouldn't trust Kuroko into Akashi's hands. And that crazy redhead had even marked the poor boy. Aomine took a deep breath. Don't be disrespective. "Look. Tetsu is pretty innocent and everything so... I don't think this thing is going to-"

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko said quietly, feeling like he should explain the situation properly. "Akashi-kun is a good person. He would never hurt me. He was holding back all this time because he thought it wasn't right. Akashi-kun is not a bad person, even though you all seem to think he is."

Akashi stared into Kuroko's blue eyes as he spoke. Right, the only one who knew what Akashi had done was Kuroko. Everyone else assumed he was a psychotic killer just because he happened to have a sadistic streak. He turned his eyes towards Aomine. "Daiki, I didn't force him to do anything."

Aomine felt a small pang in chest because of Akashi's wording. "It wasn't my fault!" he hollered, finally getting enough of being accused of something he didn't do. "Tetsu nearly forced himself on me!"

Kuroko sighed quietly, watching as the two male in front of him had started their bickering once again. Akashi was always calm. Aomine was the exact opposite of Akashi. Kuroko drowned into his own thoughts, not really listening what the two of them were saying. He snatched out of his aydreams when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Is this seat taken?"

The bluenette furrowed his eyebrows. No one was stupid enough to ask that if Akashi and Aomine were sitting in this table. This was their table. Which meant, that the guy who just spoke to him was fresh meat. Kuroko turned around to look at the newcomer and froze. He felt a cold sweat starting to gather in his neck and his hands started to shake. Everything was starting to get blurred and all he could hear was the loud noises of Aomine. Akashi was probably asking if he was okay.

"Who the fuck is he anyways?" Aomine raged and got up from his chair. Kuroko snapped out of it when Aomine had grabbed the newcomer's collar.

"Stop," Kuroko suddenly whimpered and touched Aomine's hand. "That's Mayuzumi-kun."

Akashi's eyes lit up dangerously as he stared into Mayuzumi's dead, gray eyes. "Welcome to the Teiko Federal Prison, Mayuzumi."


	9. Does this feel like deja vu?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I brought some light novels with me from Rakuzan. Thought you might want to see them," Mayuzumi tried to keep up the conversation. Something about Kuroko smelled different. He acted differently. He had more guts. Mayuzumi didn't know what brought that change, but he had a good idea about it. Especially when he saw the fading hickey on Kuroko's neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling generous today. Mainly because chapter eleven is nearly done. Secondly, you guys are too amazing. I can't even ;___; I would have never thought that this story would receive such a great welcome. So, without further a due, enjoy this calm before the storm. Because in the next chapter, you are going to need some tissues.
> 
> And plz, I believe that even in the KnB series Haizaki has a soft spot for Kuroko. COME ON. Bonding times.

_"Wake up, blockhead."_

_I was half awake when Mayuzumi was trying to shake me awake. I tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness and I fumbled for my night lamp's switch._

_"Don't turn on the lights."_

_"What?" I whispered and finally reached the switch and flipped it on. I jumped at the sight in front of me. My lover, who said he had something important to do, was covered in red substance which smelt like iron or copper. I wasn't sure at that time. "Is that blood?!"_

_Mayuzumi winced and covered my mouth with his hand. I realized it was bloody too. I tried very hard not to freak out. My heart was hammering so fast I couldn't even breathe properly. "Yes. And if you tell anyone, I swear to God, you will face the same fate as-"_

_I slapped Mayuzumi's hand away from my mouth. I was sure I was completely awake by the time I realized there was a black plastic bag in the corner of my room. It was not there when I had went asleep. "What the hell are you doing?" I hissed quietly, staring at the bloodied stains on my white carpet. "What have you done?!"_

_"You don't believe me now, but it had to be done. You don't understand now, but I'm sure you will, eventually."_

_I knew there had always been something wrong with Mayuzumi's fascination for horror movies, books and all the gore. But this was not something I thought it would escalate into. "We need to call the pol-"_

_"No!" Mayuzumi roared and he was instantly at my face. "You said you loved me! We can fix this together. Okay? You can do all that cool computer stuff."_

_I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I was fucking terrfied by the scene that was happening right in front of my eyes. "Yes. I do love you. That's why we need to figure this out with-"_

_Mayuzumi slapped me across the face. It was harder than usual. He did that sometimes, he didn't like when I talked back or I said something to insult him. "I said **no**. You will help me out of this mess or I will put you in a small plastic bag just like I did with this guy."_

 

* * *

 

Kuroko gasped for breath. Haizaki was sitting next to his bed, looking slightly concerned. The bluenette coughed a little and his head was starting to ache. What he didn't expect was the cool hand slipping into his hair, almost affectionately. "Dude. You okay?" he asked quietly. It was quiet and dark, so Kuroko assumed it was still a night time.

"Shit," Kuroko hissed quietly, trying not to break into tears. Mayuzumi had arrived here yesterday. Midorima said that Rakuzan Federal needed him to be transferred to Teiko and there was nothing he could do about it.

Haizaki looked at Kuroko's weak from on the bed and tried not to feel pity for him. Everyone had seen what had happened in the dining hall. It was a fucking chaos. After Kuroko had declared who the newcomer was, Aomine had immediately leaped into action and broken Mayuzumi's nose. Akashi had tried to make Kuroko even out his breath, but in the end the bluenette had fainted. Kagami and Imayoshi had rushed him to the infirmary. "You know, I heard that talking helps. You know... shitty dreams."

Kuroko finally had had enough time to calm himself and to realize that it was motherfucking Haizaki sitting on his bed, **comforting** him, because he had had a bad dream of his past. Of all people, it was Haizaki. Haizaki was the only thing he had right now. Akashi was sleeping in the other dorm with Aomine and Kise. Murasakibara slept in the suburban with Kuroko, but he was on the other side of the big room. Koganei was sleeping in his own cubicle. And now he had Haizaki. "I don't think you should be the first person to know details of my past life, Haizaki-kun."

Haizaki carefully kneaded through Kuroko's hair. No matter what Kuroko said, he was relaxing under Haizaki's surprisingly gentle touch. "Would you rather talk to Kise, who seriously tells everyone everything? Nothing stays secret. Akashi is only interested if it benefits him and Aomine looks like he is listening, but he really isn't. Murasakibara doesn't even act like he is interested. So, now you have me. I will listen."

Kuroko swatted the warm hand away from his hair, slightly regretting it though. "You are wrong," Kuroko hissed quietly, furrowing his eyebrows. "Akashi-kun took a fall for me. I don't see how that benefits him."

Haizaki hummed quietly. "Well, you have a point in that. But you are not denying and Akashi is not in the suburban," he reasoned, trying to get his hand back into Kuroko's hair. "Let me pet you, you have soft hair," Haizaki complained and they were having a small slapping fight until Kuroko finally backed down and let Haizaki touch his hair.

"You ruined my potential marriage."

Haizaki tsk'ed and scowled. "You got to believe me, I saved you from a very unhappy marriage. No drugs, you even have a fucking dog and a hickey on your neck. Hickey is always a good sign," he snorted quietly, glancing towards the aquarium. Kagami was on the watch tonight. That was good, actually. "Don't deny it."

Kuroko pursed his lips at Haizaki's words. Even if he hated Haizaki, he actually had a point. Even if Kuroko had had sex with Aomine while being engages, he wasn't in his right mind. Momoi had met Wakamatsu on the visiting day and now Momoi was expecting Wakamatsu's, _fucking Wakamatsu's_ , kid. Wakamatsu was their friend. He had even been Kuroko's friend. Momoi had lied to him on the phone about the allergy. "You're right."

"See?" Haizaki sighed quietly and shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't want to keep waking up when you thrash around and cry in your sleep. Seriously, it needs to stop. So if talking helps, fucking do it."

Kuroko blinked and wiped his cheeks. Oh, so he had been crying. He didn't even realize. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly, suddenly feeling very ashamed by everything that had happened during the day. He had fainted in the dining hall. He hadn't had even chance to see Akashi after he came to his own cubicle. The nurse said he needed to rest.

"You better be fucking sorry," Haizaki sighed and got up from the bed. He tiptoed back to his own bed and laid down. "So? Tell me about this dream."

Kuroko sighed quietly and turned to look towards the ceiling. "I will make sure that if I hear-"

"I won't fucking tell, okay?" Haizaki groaned from his side and turned to look at Kuroko. "Akashi and Aomine will cut me. I understand. Come on."

"Fine," Kuroko sighed quietly, rubbing his eyes gently. "It was about Mayuzumi. You saw him, right? You know the story already, how I got here so... no need to repeat that part," he explained quietly. Kuroko did not want Kagami to interrupt now that he had finally enough courage to tell the truth to someone. "I lied in the court. I didn't help Mayuzumi because I simply wanted to. The dream I had was about the night when Mayuzumi broke into my apartment, blood all over him. He even brought the fucking plastic bag with him," Kuroko choked a little, remembering the smell all too clearly. "It was just a small plastic bag... Full of... Body parts. In tiny, tiny pieces."

Haizaki's eyes widened a little at the revelation. Kuroko was sitting here, because Mayuzumi forced the bluenette to help him. Kuroko had lied in the court. Why would he do something like that? Haizaki licked his lips, listening to the story as it continued.

"Then I said I will call a police and... He got angry and we started to argue," Kuroko whispered, bringing his hand to his stomach. "He threatened to kill me. Like he killed that FBI agent. I didn't believe he would do that," Kuroko continued, re-living the moments inside of his head. "I reached for the phone and... And he..." Kuroko choked and tried to calm down his breath again. He didn't know if he wanted to say it out loud. But Kuroko had already told Haizaki more than he had told anyone. Kuroko's fingers trailed his other hand, feeling the scar in it. "My hand was just resting on the nightstand he stabbed it. The.. the knife lodged through my hand and it was wedged to the nightstand. I couldn't run, I couldn't take it off."

Haizaki just listened and he couldn't help but feel bad for Kuroko. It was a feeling he hadn't felt for a long, long time. There was a long silence, and Haizaki had a feeling that this wasn't the end of the story. He really wanted to ask, but decided against it. It was miracle Kuroko was putting this much trust to him already. "What happened next?"

Kuroko's breath hitched and he shook his head. He wiped the stray tears away from his face. "He raped me," Kuroko said. He would've rather re-lived the stabbing, not the pain of having yourself pinned on the floor, watching the black, smelly plastic bag as Mayuzumi was taking him from behind. "And then I did what he wanted. I said I loved him. I stayed with with. I hacked into the FBI. I erased the evidence."

"Wow," Haizaki mumbled quietly, furrowing his eyebrows a little. "How did you know what was in the bag?"

Kuroko swallowed a bile down his throat. "I didn't look into it. But later I saw the pictures when I was going through the files," he murmured quietly. "But I knew that the plastic bag was full of something very disturbing before I even saw the pictures. Have you ever smelled...?"

"I have," Haizaki quickly said, furrowing his eyebrows. "I saw my mother get shot right in front of my eyes. Messy. My dad shot him with a shotgun that was meant to be killing bears."

"Oh my god," Kuroko whispered quietly, trying to see Haizaki's expression in the darkness. "No wonder you're so twisted."

Haizaki didn't say anything in a while and Kuroko was sure he had offended the other. "I didn't have a good childhood, okay?" he sighed quietly, trying to think about something else, rather than his father blowing his mother's brains out. "I grew up in the streets. Dad committed a suicide soon after and I ran away. I don't know if the police never found out that my dad killed my mother, but..."

Kuroko listened to Haizaki talk. "How did you end up here?" he asked quietly, he had always been wondering that. Now that he had talked with Haizaki, he didn't seem like entirely bad person.

"I had a drug problem back in the streets. I killed someone, accidentally," Haizaki said and shrugged his shoulders. "I was pretty violent too. Street gangs make you toughen up a bit," he informed Kuroko, not really wanting to talk about the pasts anymore. It was a stupid idea. "You should get some sleep."

"You too," Kuroko murmured quietly. Perhaps he had made an alliance no one expected him to create.

 

* * *

 

"He keeps staring at me," Kuroko whispered, not being able to focus on his breakfast at all. He had a straight eye contact to Mayuzumi. _Mr. Gray_ , as Aomine had put it, was sitting in the table near them and he was just staring at the bluenette.

Akashi flicked his eyes to the side and grabbed Kuroko's tray. He changed his and Kuroko's trays and circled around the table. "Sit in my place," he ordered, and there were collective gasps in the dining hall. Okay, so that happened.

Kuroko carefully got up from his seat and sat onto Akashi's. He was able to see the death glare Akashi sent into Mayuzumi's direction. "Everything is going to shit," Kuroko whimpered when he was finally shielded from Mayuzumi's eyes, at least partially.

Kise pursed his lips. He was actually joining them for breakfast this time. The blonde even ate his porridge, which made Aomine happy. Then again, the tension was very high in the table and no one really knew what to say to make Kuroko feel better. "At least his nose looks gorgeous," Kise commented, trying to ease the tension.

Aomine immediately caught with Kise and laughed. "I know. That piece of shit got what he deserved. I swear, since the day I saw him on TV-"

"Stop," Akashi said sharply, looking at Kuroko who was looking more sick by the second. "I don't think you're making him feel any better right now," he said and placed his hand on top of Kuroko's. The bluenette flinched and pulled his hand back quickly. Akashi sighed quietly. Not even he was able to comfort him right now.

"Look, I thought you guys got along," Kise suddenly exclaimed, feeling a little bit lost. "Yeah, he busted you, but you were lovers, right? So, you guys have things in common. Like, you could remember all the funny stuff you used to do together or-"

Kuroko abruptly got up from the chair. "I don't feel hungry anymore, excuse me," the bluenette mumbled, grabbed his tray and went to dump his breakfast into the garbage bin. He heard Akashi call after him. "Don't follow," he pleaded before he stepped out of the dining hall, finally feeling like he could actually breathe. Nigou was still following him everywhere. Kuroko wanted Nigou to leave him alone for a few minutes, but he couldn't. Kuroko also wanted to try to call Momoi. He wanted to re-open the case, **now**.

Aomine watched after Kuroko. "Does this feel like deja vu?" he asked quietly, when Akashi returned to sit next to him.

"It does," Kise mumbled quietly, avoiding looking towards Mayuzumi. Mr. Gray was on the move, but Kise didn't dare to say it out loud. Aomine and Akashi wouldn't notice if he didn't say. _Should I tell?_ Kise nearly whined, trying to make his decision. No, he shouldn't tell. Kuroko had told them not to follow him. And if they followed Mayuzumi, they would probably also follow Kuroko.

Akashi sighed loudly. He had just managed to create a comfortable relationship between him and Kuroko. Things had started to look good, but then Mr. Gray had to appear out of fucking nowhere. "I think we just have to watch how things start to fall apart once again. Then we'll pick up the pieces," he said quietly, not really knowing how he would be able to avoid Kuroko getting himself tangled into another mess. _He didn't even let me touch him._

"No. What the fuck?" Aomine blurted out, staring at Kise and Akashi. "Okay. Now, you two are going to listen to me. I'm not going through that again. I don't fucking want to see Tetsu walking around here like a ghost again," he snapped. He was furious. How did these two lose their spirits so quickly? Aomine licked his lips. "Akashi. You can fix this. You know, maybe kill Mayuzumi or something?"

Akashi turned around to look at Aomine. "I don't know why do you guys keep thinking I'm a psychotic killer," he whispered quietly, making Kise and Aomine get closer to the redhead. "I'm not sitting here because I killed somebody."

Aomine and Kise looked at each other in wonder. "Okay. We might or might not believe that," Aomine said quietly, straightening his back a little. "But that's not the point. We'll just keep Mayuzumi away from Tetsu. Sounds simple enough," he said and turned around in his seat. "Where is that fucker anyways?"

Kise paled a little and cleared his throat. "He went after Kurokocchi about ten minutes ago."

"The fuck!?"

 

* * *

 

Mayuzumi stared into Kuroko's blue eyes. They were both standing in the courtyard. It was getting a little bit warmer since the spring was on it's way. It was a lot warmer in Teiko than Rakuzan. "We didn't really have time to chat yesterday. Your watchdog, I mean the human one, really did a number on my nose."

Kuroko tried to even out his breath. He didn't need a second panic attack. "We don't have anything to talk about," he pointed out quietly, kicking the ground with his foot. The last time Kuroko had seen Mayuzumi was in the court. The last time Kuroko had had fun with Mayuzumi was before they decided to pursue a relationship.

"I brought some light novels with me from Rakuzan. Thought you might want to see them," Mayuzumi tried to keep up the conversation. Something about Kuroko smelled different. He acted differently. He had more guts. Mayuzumi didn't know what brought that change, but he had a good idea about it. Especially when he saw the fading hickey on Kuroko's neck.

"Why are you here?" Kuroko finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Midorima hadn't told him the details, but he really wanted to know why this had happened. "We were separated for one reason. So that we don't start scheming anything stupid. They don't even know what you did to me," he hissed quietly, watching Nigou sitting at his feet. "You are nothing but a-"

Slap.

Kuroko brought a hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. Yes, he did remember the sting of Mayuzumi's hand. "I'm sorry," he whimpered quietly, biting his lower lip. Everything from last night was rushing back to his mind. "I didn't mean to insult you."

Mayuzumi ruffled Kuroko's hair gently. "Good boy. I was already afraid you might've grown some sharp teeth," he said, looking down at the boy in front of him. "I'm glad I was wrong. Now, how is your engagement with Momoi-san?" he asked, trying to strike up a casual conversation. The redheaded guard, Kagami, was staring at them intently so Mayuzumi wanted to calm down the situation a bit. He didn't know how much power Kuroko had around Teiko.

Kuroko swallowed thickly. The bluenette had also thought that he had gained some guts in these past few months, but apparently he hadn't. Kuroko sighed and shook his head. _Keep up the conversation, that's what Mayuzumi want_ s. "She ended the engagement," he explained, looking at his own two feet. _Don't look him in the eyes_.

Mayuzumi kept staring at the fading mark on Kuroko's neck. "I knew that relationship wasn't going to work," he informed as they started to walk around the courtyard. Mayuzumi felt uncomfortable near Kagami. "Do you have... someone in this prison?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Prison lover?"

Small flashback from the shack invaded Kuroko's mind and he stopped walking. Heterochromic eyes. Red hair. It was soft and inviting. Akashi was as warm as fire. Mayuzumi was the exact opposite of the redhead he had grown so fond of. Yet he couldn't stop his lips from moving. "No, I don't," he whispered quietly, bringing his hand to his neck. "I am at your service."

Mayuzumi couldn't help but smirk. "Good," he whispered and brought his hand to pet Kuroko's pale cheeks. "Because I don't want you to think about anyone else. I'm here now."

"Tetsuya."

Kuroko and Mayuzumi both turned around to look at the man behind them. Hair as red as fire, two eyes that did not match. Kuroko felt his lower lip quiver and he turned to look away from Akashi. The bluenette was scared what Mayuzumi might do to Akashi if he realized Akashi was the one who had captured his fragile little heart.

"Oh. One of Kuroko's watchdogs," Mayuzumi said and turned to look at Akashi. he saw two others walking towards them in lazy pace. It was Aomine and Kise. He hadn't seen the blonde up close yet, but he was sure they were important people to Kuroko. He wanted to break them. "I'm sorry, but we were having a moment."

Akashi looked at the red mark on Kuroko's cheek. "Is hitting someone considered having a moment?"

Kuroko flinched at Akashi's words and brought a hand to his cheek. Oh shit. "No, Akashi-kun," he hurried to say, fighting back his tears. "Ma-Mayuzumi-kun was just... Trying to hit a fly," he whimpered quietly, trying to look serious.

Aomine and Kise looked at each other. "Did he just...?" Kise asked quietly.

"Yes, he did," Akashi said with a low voice. Kuroko was a lousy liar. "Tetsuya. I told you I do not like to being talked down to. Lying is one of those things. You are underestimating me," Akashi continued and stepped between Mayuzumi and Kuroko. "Don't touch what is mine," he growled quietly, looking straight into Mayuzumi's gray eyes. "I don't care if you two have history, but I'm pretty sure your history is not a happy one."

Kuroko gently grabbed Akashi's coat, not wanting to cause him any trouble. "Akashi-kun. Please stop," he pleaded quietly, looking at Mayuzumi who was getting angrier by the second. "We don't want any trouble. Step down, Akashi-kun," he continued and buried his face into Akashi's back. "Please."

At least Mayuzumi now knew who he should get rid of. He knew who had given Kuroko a chance to sharpen his teeth. It was these three. And Akashi was the leader. He realized they were the same, in some particular ways. "I took his virginity. I believe I will always stand above you."

Kuroko cringed at the memory. This wasn't going to end well. He could feel Akashi tensing in front of him and he held onto his jacket a little bit tighter, pulling him away from Mayuzumi. Kuroko stepped in between the two males. "I thought virginity is something you give away to someone you love," he spat out quietly, making sure that even Akashi heard. He wasn't going to let Akashi feel miserable because of that. "I didn't love you when you took it away from me."

Mayuzumi's rage flared and Kuroko closed his eyes. He was prepared to get hit again, but surprisingly it never came. Kuroko cracked his eyes open, only to see Aomine grabbing Mayuzumi's hand that was just few centimeters away from making contact with Kuroko's face. Kuroko felt a pull on his sleeve and he was dragged further by Akashi. "We need to calm down," Kise said and kept glancing at Kagami's direction. "How about Mayuzumi stays here while we get back inside with Kurokocchi?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Aomine said and let go of Mayuzumi's hand. He backed away few steps, making sure he had his eye son Mayuzumi. This was a psychopath. He couldn't be too careful around Mr. Gray. "Let's go."

Mayuzumi watched as the group hurried inside. Sharp teeth, huh?

 

* * *

 

"There is more to it, isn't it?" Akashi asked later that day when they were huddled close in the shack. They had already enjoyed their smokes, and now they were basking in the warmth of each other. "Why won't you talk about it?"

Kuroko gnawed his lower lip and fiddled with Akashi's fingers. He didn't want to answer Akashi's question, but it also felt like the redhead was worth the truth. Haizaki had been worth the truth. It was stupid if he didn't tell Akashi. "There is something you should know before I tell you..."

Akashi nodded, letting Kuroko play with his fingers. It seemed to help him concentrate better. "I'm not forcing you to talk about anything," he reminded Kuroko, not wanting to scare the boy away again. No, today morning had been enough when Kuroko pulled away from his touch.

"I know," Kuroko muttered quietly. "Haizaki-kun was the first to know the truth," he whispered, and he felt Akashi tensing. He buried himself better into Akashi's arms, wanting him to relax. "He caught me off-guard last night. I was having a bad dream, about Mayuzumi, and then he demanded to know what I was dreaming about. I ended up telling him about it," Kuroko explained softly, bringing Akashi's hand to his lips as an apology. "It helped me sleep," he admitted, not really wanting to tell that he had waken up by Haizaki's comforting him in his own bed. God, Akashi would've gutted Haizaki for it.

Jealousy was grabbing Akashi's chest so hard he just wanted to slam Kuroko into the wall and demand him to be only his. Take him. But when he remembered how Mayuzumi had treated the boy at the courtyard earlier today, he controlled himself and nuzzled Kuroko's neck gently. Kuroko was fragile. He should be treated softly. "Okay," he murmured and pulled Kuroko against his chest a little bit tighter. "I understand."

Kuroko nodded, relaxing into the warmth. He closed his eyes, thinking how he should explain what had happened between him and Mayuzumi. So he decided to explain it exactly how he had explained it to Haizaki. Of course, this time he added more details, since he was feeling safe in Akashi's arms. It was different this time. And this time it felt a lot easier. Kuroko could feel Akashi's hands clench and unclench around his stomach during the whole story.

After Kuroko finished his story, Akashi opened his mouth. "So, you're saying that... You're sitting here for no reason at all?" he asked quietly, feeling rage build up inside of him. Kuroko had been so afraid of Mayuzumi that he had lied at the court. He had lied to his fiance. He had lied to everyone.

Kuroko swallowed thickly, squeezing Akashi's hand gently. "But it wouldn't matter, right? I still did it," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I really want to re-open the case, but Satsuki-ch... Momoi-san doesn't answer my phone calls. His father was my attorney," Kuroko explained quietly, trying not to start crying. Akashi was so furious. The bluenette was afraid that Akashi might be angry at him. "I'm sorry."

Akashi stared into Kuroko's blue eyes that had started to collect salty water, once again. "No, no, no," he murmured quietly, when he realized that Kuroko was afraid of him. Afraid of his anger. "I'm not mad at you," he said, wiping the lone tears that had escaped from Kuroko's beautiful eyes. "I understand that you were afraid," Akashi murmured, feeling guilty about all the times he had talked about killing someone. He was just messing with Kuroko without knowing what the boy had actually went through. "I'm just mad that you're sitting here for no reason at all. You could still be happy with that girl."

Kuroko sighed quietly, trying to find his 'zen' again. Just as he started to relax again the door to the shack burst open. Kuroko and Akashi jumped, but relaxed when they realized it was only Kise. "What is it?" Akashi asked when he saw the worried look on his face.

Kise swallowed thickly. "Haizaki was fighting with Mayuzumi."

Kuroko jumped off of the crate, nearly toppling over. "Why?!" he yelled a bit too loud to his tastes. Oh no, this was the bad feeling he had had all day. It was coming to this. "What happened?"

"Mayuzumi was talking shit about you in the TV room. Of course everyone wants to know your... "dirty" secrets and Haizaki just suddenly lost it and started to beat him," Kise said, not really understanding what happened.

Akashi raised his eyebrows and also got off from the crate, standing next to Kuroko. "Please tell me Haizaki killed him."

Kise shook his head. "Haizaki looks like he's gone through some professional beat up. I kinda felt bad for him," Kise admitted, scratching his cheek absentmindedly. "Man, I thought Mayuzumi was going to kill Haizaki for a second there. Gotta hand it to him though. He really stood up for Kurokocchi."

Kuroko felt a slight blush adorning his cheeks. Haizaki had done that... just for him? He pursed his lips and shook his head. He had been misjudging Haizaki all this time. Was he a good guy? Or was he a bad guy?

"Tetsuya. Haizaki is still a bad guy," Akashi mentioned suddenly. It was as if he had been reading Kuroko's mind for a second there. "I believe he has a soft spot for you, but it doesn't mean he is not a bad guy."

"Right," Kuroko mumbled quietly. He needed to thank Haizaki. He really did.

 

* * *

 

"Kise-kun wasn't kidding," Kuroko admitted as he stood in front of Haizaki back at their cubicle. This time Kuroko's side of the room was also clean. Everything was placed neatly. Good, they had both earned mutual respect. "Looks painful."

Haizaki grimaced at Kuroko's tone. "You remind me of my mother. That sarcastic voice that says that I've done something wrong even though I meant good," he sighed quietly. He watched as Kuroko stepped closer with a wet cloth and a packet of ice. "You're not mother henning, are you?"

"I am, actually," Kuroko admitted and wiped the dried blood off of Haizaki's face gently. "You're the least of my problems right now," he continued. After he had cleaned Haizaki's face, he wrapped the ice in the towel and sat next to the taller male. He carefully angled Haizaki's face with his hand and placed the cold towel on his cheek first. "And I kinda owe you, so..."

Haizaki hummed in agreement, wincing when Kuroko placed the towel on his cheek. It was already evening and most of the inmates were sleeping. Except for them, once again. This was surely becoming a habit. The small lamp on Kuroko's nightstand provided them some soft lightning. It was two hours before the lights out. "I managed to get in some really good punches."

Kuroko hold back a small laughter that was bubbling in his chest. Even if Akashi said that Haizaki was a bad guy, he had a soft spot for the bluenette. And Kuroko didn't mind that at all. "You ever felt bad for making Hanamiya-kun beat me up?"

"Not really," Haizaki admitted and winced when Kuroko pinched his thigh. "No. I didn't feel bad for it. Because I think you learned something," he said, watching Kuroko's eyes widen a little in the dim light. He looked so damn good in this lightning. "Am I right?"

Kuroko averted his eyes and moved the towel to Haizaki's busted lip. "I guess you are right," he finally admitted, wondering what Akashi would do if he knew that the bluenette was helping Haizaki. Kuroko bit his lower lip. "I don't think you are a bad person."

"Did Akashi say that?"

"Yes, he did."

Haizaki sighed quietly, moving Kuroko's hand away from his face. "I'm not a bad person. I just made wrong choices. I was here before Akashi came," he started to explain, watching Kuroko fiddle with the towel. "I showed him what's what. Suddenly it just... Started to turn upside down," he said with a quiet sigh. "There was this one time when Akashi and I had a fight. Man, I didn't even realize what had happened but I got my ass whooped in five seconds. And after that..."

"They thought Akashi as the top dog," Kuroko finished with a small smile on his lips. Akashi and Haizaki were both good people, bound by stupid mistakes. He shook his head and brought the towel back to Haizaki's face. "You have a common enemy now, though."

"And a common goal," Haizaki whispered, bringing Kuroko a little bit closer to him. "But the one of us is too possessive to share," he continued, touching Kuroko's waist with his fingers.

Kuroko paled a little and moved Haizaki's hand away from his waist. "I'm not cheating on Akashi-kun."

"Oh? So you two are an item now?" Haizaki barked a small laugh and took the ice from Kuroko. "I was just messing with you anyways. Thanks for the help. Appreciate it."

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows and walked to his own bed with a sour look on his face. Who the hell Haizaki thought he was? Kuroko clicked his tongue and buried himself under his blanket. "Good night."

Haizaki watched the small mountain that was blanket and he couldn't help but smile softly. "Good night, bright eyes."


	10. Don't eat the meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's a wreck, isn't he?" Kise whispered quietly to Aomine. They were having dinner and all Akashi was doing was stare towards the doors. There was still hope in his eyes. Hope that Kuroko was going to walk through those doors any minute.
> 
> Aomine hummed in agreement. "Can you blame him? It's been two months already," he whispered back. They didn't want Akashi to overhear them. "Two months is a fucking long time. He will come back eventually, but do you really think he's going to be the same?"
> 
> "You didn't change," Kise said. "Neither did Haizaki."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so. Shit hits the fan in the worst way possible. Kuroko is suffering a sentence worse than death.
> 
> This chapter is supposed to be confusing on Kuroko's part. So if you feel lost, that's my intention. If you don't know what is going on, I've done my job correctly and you know how damn lost our main protagonist is. 
> 
> And plz, bros before hoes, alright?
> 
> We're also nearing the end of the story, unfortunately. It's like letting your child to start explore the world for the first time in forever. ;___; <3

"I didn't think that you, of all inmates, were hiding something like this under your mattress."

Kuroko was deathly pale as he stared at the object in Imayoshi's hands. Yes, that was definitely a saw. What Kuroko could see it was made of wooden coat hanger and a tiny jigsaw blade. "With all due respect, I don't know what that is doing under my mattress."

Haizaki stood straight next to Kuroko, feeling a lump forming in his throat. He hadn't done anything this time and when Kuroko shoot him a hurt look, he nearly blurted out that he had done it. But Haizaki didn't do it. He didn't want the ticket to solitary. So Haizaki stayed quiet.

Imayoshi hummed, giving the saw to Kagami, who was waiting outside the cubicle. He continued raiding Kuroko's side of the cubicle and suddenly Kuroko was sure he was going to shit his pants. He had no idea what was going on. "Sir, I don't unders-"

"I know you guys have a great imagination, but... You have exceeded my expectation, Kuroko. Candy shiv, really?" Imayoshi asked, trying to stab his own finger with it. Okay, it was sharper than the saw that he had found. "And you're telling me they are not yours. You could get into MAX for this. Do you know what MAX is?"

"Maximum Security," Kuroko whimpered quietly, closing his eyes. Yes, he remembered the orientation. He did remember. "But they are not mine. I swear to God, I didn't make any of those."

Haizaki bit his lip. "Kuroko would never do something like th-"

"Haizaki, keep it down," Imayoshi snapped at the man standing next to Kuroko. He waved the candy shiv in front of Kuroko's face and tapped it's tip against Kuroko's nose. "Kagami and I can't make the decision. It goes through Kagetora first. Come with us," he said and escorted Kuroko out of the dorms.

Haizaki watched after the bluenette, then at the mess Imayoshi had made. It had been weeks since Kuroko and Haizaki had come to the common ground and decided to behave around each other. The cubicle had always been clean, shit, one of the best cubicles out there. He saw Koganei peeking out of his own cubicle and walking to Haizaki's. "What do you want?" Haizaki snapped.

"I'll help you clean up," Koganei said with a grim smile on his lips. "When Kuroko comes back, he'll flip if this isn't cleaned."

They cleaned up. Haizaki re-organized Kuroko's books. Koganei made his bed. Everything was pristine by the time lunch time rolled around. But Kuroko never came back to the cubicle. No one saw him at the lunch break. All you could hear was rumors about Kuroko being sent to MAX. Some said he was just sent to SHU. Haizaki flinched when all too familiar redhead slammed his fist against the table, demanding to know where Kuroko is.

"Someone framed him," Haizaki said with a calm tone, poking his food with the fork. "We were both out of it when Imayoshi came after breakfast and demanded Kuroko to clear his bunk," he explained, watching Akashi get even more furious. "It wasn't me!"

"You could have taken the fall for him," Akashi spat wanting to stab Haizaki with his fork. "You could have reminded everyone why you used to be the top dog," Akashi continued and grabbed a fistful of Haizaki's shirt. "Someone who belongs to me is currently rotting in SHU or MAX because you couldn't open your goddamn mouth!"

Haizaki pushed Akashi away from him."Well where the fuck you were?! Maybe you were busy fucking with other cute inmates, huh!? At least I stood by his side while you were somewhere else!" he yelled back, pushing Akashi's chest again. "You wanna go?"

"Okay, calm down," Kagami pried the two boys apart with Aomine, who had come to aid him. For once, he was glad that Aomine had sense of justice. "Kuroko is not in the MAX. You can calm down now, he will come back eventually."

"Calm down?" Aomine finally asked, giving Kagami a murderous look. Yes, he was helping him, but he did think sending Kuroko to SHU was extremely wrong. "He is sitting alone in there. No one talks to him. He barely gets food! Who knows how long he is going to stay there! He didn't even do anything!"

Kagami sighed. "Look, even if Kuroko was framed, there was nothing we could do about it. Imayoshi received a tip that said, Kuroko was acting 'suspiciously' and it was his duty to go through his cubicle. I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be," Kagami explained, watching three, very furious inmates in front of him. Why Kuroko had to become so popular?

"What about Nigou?" Aomine suddenly asked, finally realizing that the dog will be taken away from Kuroko. "What's going to happen to the dog?"

"I'm taking care of it. Or, you could say that my roommate is taking care of it," Kagami murmured quietly, not really wanting to be reminded by his busty roommate who adores animals. "It works out, because she works in a female prison. Nigou will be working with her."

Akashi bit his lip, turning around to leave the dining hall. "It was Mayuzumi. I'm going to kill that fucker."

"Akashi. Akashi, hey wait!"

 

* * *

 

There are somethings I have realized during my stay in SHU. I'm locked inside this white room. I get out for fifteen minutes a day and then I'm put back in. It is a box, really. Like, I can walk around this room in five seconds. If I take big steps. I've tested it few times. I have a bed, though. I think it's around 60-70 centimeters wide. I liked the one back at the camp. It was 90. I don't have any windows in here. I have some kind of small hole where I can do my business. Like, urinating and taking a shit. I can't really sleep though since the fluorescent light is always on and it has a sickly color.

I've tried to talk to the guards, but they don't talk to me. I like to think that they are afraid. One day I heard someone calling my name. Weird, huh? It was coming from the air vent that is set into the back wall. It's really just a small hole. I could probably fit my fist in there if there wasn't anything in front of it.

Anyways, usually I just walk around the cell. You know, I just pace back and forth until someone brings my lunch. Sometimes I don't even get food, which I've gotten used to by now. I have no idea how much time I have spent here. But I know how many steps I have taken inside of this cell. 43972 steps. I think it equals some kilometers, but I haven't had time to really think about it. I heard the guard talking to someone yesterday, and they said I was losing it. I don't really understand what they meant.

I also heard that they call this place 'cold box'. There are different boxes around here, but I'm in the worst place. My box is down a long hallway, behind three sets of secure doors. When they push me inside here after my fifteen minute break, it's a complete isolation. They shove my food through the slot. Sometimes it spills on the floor when I don't have enough time to reach for it.

Kise used to tell me sometimes that he was bored. That he had nothing to do. I know something now. My options in what to do to occupy my time in SHU are scant. Boredom is more than welcome in here. You probably think that you understand boredom, know how it feels, but in reality... You don’t. I have to remember to tell that to Kise if I get out of here.

I watch as my lunch is thrown on the floor through the slot. Oh, it stayed on the tray. That was new. I crouch down to the floor, looking at my meal for today. I don't think how this is supposed to be a meal though. The mashed potatoes, at least I think that is mashed potatoes, are grayish. I sigh. I don't really have choice.

_"Don't eat the meat it's poisoned."_

I turn my head towards the air vent. "Hello?" I ask and crawl towards the air vent. I try to look through it. Maybe someone really is on the other side of the wall. "What did you say about my lunch?"

_"It's poisoned."_

"Huh?" I wonder and look at the tray laying on the floor. "Do you think they want to kill me? Why?" I ask from the stranger, but I never get an answer. I look at the tray suspiciously and decide to push it through the slot. I do not want to take any chances of my food being poisoned.

I don't know how much time has passed. But I hear the voice again. It is coming from the vent.

_"They keep the lights on, so you lose all sense of time."_

"Yeah, sick bastards," I admit, scooting closer to the vent. "It's not living," I say, thinking about how long the other person has been here. It is nice to hear someone speaking every once in a while. Very relaxing. He even has a soft voice, like me. "I mean, yeah, you're breathing, but you ain't a person no more."

_"Yeah. It's bad. You start to see shit that ain't there. You start to hear voices."_

"They keep you here until they break you," I mumble quietly, looking at the vent that is silent once again. I groan in frustration. What is the point of talking to someone if the other one can't keep up with the conversation? Even the books are funnier. Even Haizaki is a better conversationalist. "Akashi-kun is good at talking. Like, really good."

I am so fucking stupid. It was probably me who put all those weapons in there and I didn't even realize I was doing it. Oh god. "Why did I do that? Why did I say those things? They are never going to let me out of here," I start to mumble, looking around in panic.

"I am so fucking stupid. I am so fucking stupid! What's wrong with me? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know," I rock back and forth, grabbing my hair in agony. I don't know what time is it. I don't know when was the last time my friend talked to me through the vent.

I sob quietly. "You still there? I swear to God that if they let me out of here I will shut up, I will never talk again, I will be a good person," I ramble, trying to hear if my friend still wants to talk with me.

"I will shut up and I will put my head down and I will do my time and I'll smile at Mayuzumi and I won't go near Akashi."

I won't even look at him.

I can do that.

I can do that.

I can.

Please.

Please don't leave me here.

Please.

 

* * *

 

"He's a wreck, isn't he?" Kise whispered quietly to Aomine. They were having dinner and all Akashi was doing was stare towards the doors. There was still hope in his eyes. Hope that Kuroko was going to walk through those doors any minute.

Aomine hummed in agreement. "Can you blame him? It's been two months already," he whispered back. They didn't want Akashi to overhear them. "Two months is a fucking long time. He will come back eventually, but do you really think he's going to be the same?"

"You didn't change," Kise said. "Neither did Haizaki."

"This is Tetsu we're talking about. He doesn't have our nerves," Aomine sighed quietly. They were actually hoping that someone new would come and replace Kuroko, no matter how harsh that sounded. Akashi was always on the edge and they were trying extra hard to keep him from killing Mayuzumi. It was clear who had framed the bluenette. Of course it was.

Kise turned his eyes towards the empty seat. It was sad. It was extremely sad. "But what if he is all normal? I think you are all exaggerating how horrible the SHU is," he murmured quietly, not wanting to anger Aomine. "All the guys I've seen has been pretty normal after. And if they have acted weird, they got back to normal in no time!"

Akashi turned his eyes towards Kise and Aomine. "You have no idea how loud you actually are, even if you try to keep your voices down," he exclaimed, looking at the food he had barely even touched. "I'm going to make a call."

"What?" Aomine spluttered and looked after Akashi. "You never call anyone!"

"Well, now I will call someone," Akashi hissed and poured water all over Aomine's face. "And you will not talk about my Tetsuya that way. He is not a lunatic and he never will be."

 

* * *

 

_"I must say I'm impressed. You haven't called me in a long, long time. Not since I was taking care of your case. I'm sorry it went down the hill."_

Akashi closed his eyes, trying to swallow down his pride. "I need some help. I would have not called you, but I really need your help."

_"I know. To make some sort of compensation on the pain of having to put down you pride, I've taken good care of your Veilside. So, what do you need?"_

"Well, I don't need anything in particular... but... I have someone here, who could really use your help," Akashi said quietly, looking at Mayuzumi. Mr. Gray was apparently spying on him, but there was no way Akashi was going to let him overhear this conversation. He turned his back to Mayuzumi, flipping his eyes towards Kagami. I gave him a hard stare and then my eyes traveled back to Mayuzumi.

_"Shiiiit. You finally found a lover boy? Oh man. I'm almost jealous."_

"Shuzo," Akashi sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose gently. Kagami was making sure Mayuzumi didn't get any closer to him, so everything was going to be okay. "His name is Kuroko Tetsuya. You probably know him."

_"Ah. Yeah. His case went downhill too. Total bluff. Man, that Mayuzumi guy was lunatic. I happened to be Old Man Momoi Arata's friend so I know about the case. Sad case. Really sad."_

"Yeah, well. Tetsuya is in a little bit of a pinch now. Listen," Akashi took a deep breath and told Nijimura everything Kuroko had told. Down to every single detail. He would never forget the look on Kuroko's face as he told it. "And now he is in the solitary. Mayuzumi hid stuff in his cubicle and he's been there for two months already," Akashi explained and closed his eyes. The line was quiet for a very long while. "Shuzo?"

_"Okay. I can talk to Arata. He can re-open the case."_

Akashi shook his head, but then he realized that Nijimura can't exactly see it. "No, we can't really bother Momoi-san. You knew Kuroko was engaged to his daughter? Yes? Right. So they broke the engagement and-"

_"Oh so that's why he has been talking trash about your little Phantom. Now it all makes sense. So you want me to take Kuroko's case? Jeez, I don't know. I must say, that guy has a shitty luck with the SHU and all."_

"Yes or no?" Akashi asked calmly, poking the wall with his finger. He was very close losing it, but losing the cool with Nijimura would never do anything good. "He needs your help."

_"Fine. I need to make a few calls. First thing we probably need to do is get Kuroko out of that SHU, am I right? So when he comes back, tell me how he's doing and ask him to add me on his visitor's list. it's better to talk face-to-face about these kinds of things. And... Akashi. We don't know how much the SHU has... damaged his personality. So... Take it easy, okay? I have seen a lot of criminals in my life."_

Akashi let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you, Shuzo. Take care of my car."

_"Will do. I promise, Kuroko will be back in no time."_

 

* * *

 

I thought I had found a solution to get some sleep. My friend in the air went has become rather persistent. The other night, not sure which one, I had wet toilet paper stuffed hard into both ears, socks folded up and pressed into my ears, a pillow wrapped around the sides and the back of my head so that it was covering my ears, and a blanket tied around all that to hold everything in place. And there I was lying in bed praying for sleep. But still the noise was incredible, a thunderous cacophony of insanity, sleep impossible.

So I gave up on that. Now I'm just wondering how many steps I've taken so far. I got really angry when I realized that I had lost count. Today I started to count again. Or yesterday. I have been tempted to hang myself in the blanket. Ventie (that's my name for him, since he lives in the vent) said that it might be possible. If I try hard enough. Ventie also told me that I could probably get myself killed if I ate the peanuts on my tray. I am allergic to peanuts. I am tempted to try that next time I get peanuts on my tray.

I've been thinking. Haizaki betrayed me. Akashi betrayed me. Aomine betrayed me. Kise betrayed me. Mayuzumi is trying to make me understand the beauty of living. Yes, that's why I am currently sitting here. I will appreciate life more when I get out.

_"Are you in love with him or with Akashi-kun?"_

"Oh shut up, Ventie," I order my friend and I sigh quietly. "I have always loved Mayuzumi-kun. Of course I love Mayuzumi."

_"Are you sure you're not just delusional? Delirious? What is the word?"_

"You're talking to a naked man, yet you call me delirious."

_"That doesn't make any sense."_

"You're right," I admit and I sigh quietly. None of the things made any sense anymore. I don't even know if I'm going to get out.

I gasp, waking up on my bed. What is going on? Oh, right. You're still in the SHU. But wait. That is me, isn't it? I stare at myself, hanging from the ceiling. I watch Kuroko Tetsuya trying to claw the rope away from his neck. His body is spasming. Probably from the pain. Or just from the lack of oxygen. "Do you need help?" I ask.

He only gargles and I sigh. "You do know, that I need a proper answer to help you?" I try to help him with my words, but since he is growing limp, I decide not to bother Kuroko anymore. So I go back to sleep. Ventie is asking if I am still okay and it is seriously, very fucking annoying. Then I remember the Kuroko who was hanging from the ceiling and I start to laugh. I laugh and I laugh. It echoes inside of my little box.

_"It was you who was dying. Why are you laughing?"_

I draw in a deep breath and shake my head. "I found it extremely funny," I say and get up from my bed. Kuroko Tetsuya has disappeared from my little box. "I think he didn't like my company."

_"Well. You laughed at him. That is not very nice."_

"Mmm. You might be right."

I hear a cell door opening and I stare at the guard. "You are not naked."

"Nice observation skills, inmate. You're getting out."

 

* * *

 

Akashi, Aomine and Kise weren't able to tear their eyes away from Kuroko. It had been nearly a month since Akashi had made the call and now they let the bluenette out. He was extremely skinny. You were able to see it from his wrists. They were bony. His cheeks didn't have any healthy glow. His eyes were dull. As dull as Mayuzumi's. He also looked like a panda. Not in a very good way.

And he was sitting with Mayuzumi. He hadn't even looked at anyone else. "This is bad," Aomine said, swallowing the lump down his throat. "Holy shit. This... This is worse than his problem with the white china. This is some next level shit and-"

Akashi was defeated. Mayuzumi Chihiro had won Akashi Seijuuro in the battle of Kuroko Tetsuya. "I'm not going to give up that easily," he hissed, interrupting Aomine's rambling. "And neither are you."

"Your attorney took his sweet time getting him out," Aomine said, narrowing his eyes a little. "How the fuck does it take a month to get someone out of SHU?"

"Aominecchi," Kise murmured and pulled his sleeve gently. "Akashicchi did his best, so did his attorney. If it weren't for him, Kuroko would still be there. We just have to be happy that he is in fact, in here, right now."

Haizaki slammed his tray down and took the seat Kuroko used to occupy. "What the actual fuck is going on?" he asked and pointed towards Mayuzumi and Kuroko. "Why is he not sitting with you? Is solitary rat not good enough for you?"

"He made that choice on his own," Akashi informed. He was calm on the outside, but boiling inside. "We tried to talk to him. He didn't even look to our way. Passed us like we were ghosts."

"He's going back to the rooms?" Haizaki asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Akashi shook his head. "No. Shintaro and Kagetora said it was better for him to be in the dorms. My attorney talked with them, making them understand why it was unnecessary for him to be in the SHU. He never did anything wrong. And if the word gets out that they are torturing their prisoners for fun..."

"Wow. You haven't lost your touch yet," Haizaki whistled lowly. This meant that Kuroko was going to be his roommate once again. Yeah, it had been a little bit lonely. "What is your plan?"

"We don't have a plan, Haizaki. Besides, why the fuck are you sitting on Tetsu's seat?" Aomine complained and threw an apple at the unwanted guest.

Akashi sighed quietly, looking at Haizaki's eyes in wonder. Maybe they could make this work somehow. Haizaki was Kuroko's roommate, after all. "No. Daiki, wait. We can use him. He owes Tetsuya, don't you?"

Haizaki growled a little. If the package of ice was counted as owing someone, then yes, he did. He had tried to stand up for Kuroko though. Two times, actually. "In a way, yes," he admitted, squinting his eyes. "What makes you think I want to help?"

"Because we have a common enemy."

Haizaki couldn't help but grin. Exactly what Kuroko had said to him all those months ago. "What do you need?"


	11. Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko froze. Kuroko-san? Kuroko-san? That didn't sound right at all. He swallowed thickly and forced his eyes to meet Akashi's. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He didn't like that. He hated that. He wanted Akashi to call him by his first name. Kuroko felt so defeated, so broken. It was as if his heart was going to break in pieces once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Rape. Non-con. It's not that graphic though. I don't believe in writing extremely graphic smut rapes. Come on. You'll get your consensual smut in the last chapter, it's a promise.
> 
> After this one, only two chapters left. I'm currently writing the last one and I'm just... dragging it because I don't want to let go yet. ;___; GHAAAH.
> 
> I ALSO HAVE EDITED SOME OF THE TAGS SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK THEM OUT IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA (like final pairings).

"So.. How did the SHU treat you, mate?" Haizaki asked the same evening Kuroko returned to the dormitory. He completely understood what Akashi had meant. The bluenette didn't even properly acknowledge Haizaki when he had taken a seat on his bed.

"Very soft..." Kuroko murmured quietly, placing his head on the pillow. He closed his eyes. Haizaki thought Kuroko looked somewhat content laying there, on the bed. Well, he was able to understand what it felt like. Except Kuroko had been in SHU two months longer than he had.

Haizaki furrowed his eyebrows. How was he going to make Kuroko talk with him? Akashi's great idea was to make Kuroko talk about his experience and since he was forced to spent time with Haizaki, he was Akashi's best bet right now. He walked a little bit closer and touched Kuroko's shoulder.

Kuroko recoiled immediately and looked into Haizaki's eyes. The bluenette in front of him was like a deer in the headlights. He inched away from Haizaki, staring at him like he was a hallucination. "What are you doing here?" Kuroko whispered, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why am I here? Oh wait, no. I'm not in SHU. I'm at the camp."

Right. So this was the amount of damage Kuroko had gained in three months. He had seen this before. Haizaki just needed to find the right approach. "Do you hear voices too?" he asked, carefully sliding to Kuroko's bed. He had to act like Kuroko was a five year old, easily scared and easily distracted. He didn't really believe Kuroko was hearing voices. It would be lunatic.

"Like what?" Kuroko mumbled and averted his eyes from Haizaki. He was watching his every move, though. Every twitch of his muscle. Everything. He saw it all. "I can hear you speaking. Unless, you are Ventie, who wasn't cool at all. Kept questioning my sanity."

Haizaki blinked. Ventie? Since when did you hear someone speaking in solitary? He licked his lips. Okay, so he had heard voices back in SHU. Maybe he still did. Maybe he still felt lonely and needed to have someone to talk to. "You don't remember? I'm Haizaki."

Now it was Kuroko's turn to blink. "Yes, I do remember you. I have not lost my memories," Kuroko mumbled quietly, inching away from Haizaki. "Now, could you please go to your side. Ventie asked me not to talk with you. Mayuzumi-kun is my friend now. I don't need you. Please, go away."

Haizaki raised his hands in a sign of surrender and walked to his own bed. Who the fuck was Ventie? Haizaki scratched his head and turned around to look at Kuroko who was struggling with putting socks into his ears. Then he tried to stuff a pillow around his head and Haizaki was lost. "What are you doing?" he asked and went back to Kuroko's bed.

"Ventie keeps talking even though I am not in SHU anymore," Kuroko groaned quietly, stopping his efforts. He was frustrated, Haizaki could see that. There was a lot of pent up anger behind Kuroko's eyes. He wondered who was going to be the first one to get a piece of Kuroko's small fists.

"Yeah, uhm... This might be a bit hard to hear right now, but I think Ventie is your imaginary friend. He... or she doesn't exist," Haizaki explained slowly. "You know, you're safe here now. Like, you get good food, you know that day it is, it gets dark and you have... Akashi," he said quietly, trying to see what his name would trigger.

Kuroko's eyes darkened a little and he grabbed his pillow a little bit harder. He brought it to his chest and hugged it. "Akashi-kun...?" he asked quietly, squinting his eyes a little. "I can't talk to him either. Mayuzumi-kun wanted me to realize how wonderful life is."

"By locking you into SHU?" Haizaki asked, not believing a word he heard. "Dude, you gotta get a grip. Remember what he did to you? He made you help him with a murder. He fucking raped you. That shit didn't do anything good to you."

There was a long, long silence between the two boys. Haizaki realized they had gathered a small crowd near their cubicle. They acted like Kuroko was some kind of freak show. "Fuck off," he snapped at the crowd, making them slowly fall back to their cubicles. Even Hyuuga seemed like he was freaked out by Kuroko's odd behavior.

Kuroko blinked sheepishly, forgetting that there were actual people in the same room with him. "You wouldn't understand. He did it out of love. I love him."

"Hey, hold on a fucking minute," Haizaki said and grabbed Kuroko's shoulders even though the boy flinched and looked like he could shit his pants any minute now. "I can accept your feelings towards a fucking Akashi but not towards that shitty Mayuzumi. Wake the fuck up!"

"Don't touch me!" Kuroko winced and slapped Haizaki's hands away. It was as if they had burned his skin. "You don't know. You don't know. You... You don't know."

"He is manipulating you!" Haizaki almost yelled, trying to keep his distance to the bluenette. "Look. Three days. Spend three days with Akashi and his team. Okay? You always used to hang around them. If it feels bad, go to Mayuzumi, I don't care. Do we have a deal?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?" Haizaki groaned. Okay, he wasn't actually treating Kuroko with those silk mittens at the moment. He should, but Kuroko was making him furious. He was suddenly so fixated with Mayuzumi that it was making Haizaki feel sick.

"Because I promised that if I got out I would not even look at Akashi-kun. I got out. I will fulfill my promise."

"Who did you made that promise to?" Haizaki asked, feeling like his head was about to explode. "Who wanted you to make that promise?"

Kuroko opened his mouth to answer, but quickly closed it. He wasn't sure about his answer. Who had he promised? There was no one with him in the SHU, right? Ventie? Had he promised to Ventie? He didn't remember. "I... I don't... know."

"See?" Haizaki sighed and rubbed his face. God, why did he wanted to help Akashi? No, he didn't want to help Akashi. He just wanted Mayuzumi to suffer. _Right, keep that in mind._ He cleared his throat. "You're delirious."

Kuroko shot an ugly glare towards Haizaki. "I am. Not. Delirious," he threw _Gone with the Wind_ towards Haizaki, breaking it in the process. "Why does everyone keep saying that?! I'm not delirious!"

Haizaki stared at the book that was currently laying on the ground, pages spread around the floor. Okay, Kuroko was definitely not okay. He loved _Gone with the Wind_. "You broke the book," Haizaki murmured and started to collect the pages from the floor. The bluenette was going to regret this later.

"It's just a book," Kuroko murmured, making himself comfortable in the bed. "Fuck off."

Haizaki kicked the wall. _God, I'm so fucking angry._

 

* * *

 

Mayuzumi watched as Kuroko placed the tray in front of him and sat down. He was pleased. Kuroko didn't even look towards his old friends anymore which was a good sign. "How was your first night out of SHU?"

Kuroko looked at the tray in front of him, not meeting Mayuzumi's eyes. Yes, watching him would be rude.

_"It's poisoned."_

The bluenette flinched and pushed the tray away from him. "It was fine," he mumbled quietly, finally answering to Mayuzumi's question. Kuroko was so hungry. He watched the tray full off nicely looking food, but his friend just wouldn't shut up. _COME ON, it's Murasakibara-kun's food!_ Kuroko's mind screamed, but somewhere, Ventie still insisted that they tried to kill him.

Mayuzumi tried not to look amused at Kuroko, whose eyes were darting from wall to wall, searching for someone or something. He took a bite of his apple casually. Mayuzumi was of course proud of himself. He had managed to cut Kuroko's sharp teeth in three months, without really doing anything. "Why don't you eat something? It must've been terrible in the box," Mayuzumi faked the care for his ex-boyfriend.

Kuroko's face went pale as he looked at the tray he had pushed away. His hands were shaking as he reached for the orange on his tray. Someone was screaming in his ear, it was poisoned. Poisoned. Poisoned. Then his eyes went to Mayuzumi's half eaten apple and he tried not to faint. Poisoned. Kuroko whimpered quietly and buried his head into his hands. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone in the dining hall went still and turned around to stare at Kuroko, who was crying, whining and shaking in his seat. The voices got louder and Kuroko was sure that the people were laughing at him. They were throwing insults at him. Mayuzumi was laughing too. "Stop," he whispered. "Stop stop stop stopstopstopsto-"

"Tetsu," Aomine grabbed Kuroko's shoulder gently, making the boy snap out of his world. The dark-skinned male saw the sweat collecting in Kuroko's neck, eyes darting wildly, like he was caged. "It's not poisoned."

Kuroko's eyes widened. Had he said that out loud? He slapped Aomine's hand away from his shoulder when saw the disgusted look on Mayuzumi's face. "Go away," he mumbled, not even daring to look at Aomine's way. _Please, go away._

Aomine sighed quietly, backing away from the table and taking his usual seat next to Akashi. "That was freaky," he admitted quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear him agree with the rest of the inmates.

Akashi rubbed his temples. "This can't go on like this. I will never get him in the court and admit he's been forced to do everything," he mumbled quietly, feeling the stress take over.

"Forget about that. How are you going to make Mayuzumi admit that he forced Tetsu do all that shit?" Aomine had lost his appetite. Poisoned? What was Kuroko thinking? Where did he get those ideas? Aomine knew SHU was tough, but Kuroko had lost it pretty quickly.

"By breaking him," Akashi whispered quietly. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head towards the Mayuzumi duo. "I will break him like he broke my Tetsuya."

"Akashicchi... You're scaring me," Kise mumbled quietly, not taking his eyes away from Kuroko's shaking form. "But I don't want Kurokocchi to be like that either..."

Haizaki sat down on Kuroko's seat, once again. "You guys know who Ventie is?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a little. "I mean, if I have to keep talking to him at dorms, I should know how the fuck is Ventie."

Aomine raised his eyebrows at Haizaki's question. This time nobody complained about Haizaki taking Kuroko's seat, at least temporarily. "I don't know. Did he say something about Ventie?"

Haizaki nodded and grabbed Aomine's apple.

"That's mine."

"Not anymore," Haizaki informed and bit the juicy treat. "Anyways, the kid was talking about Ventie last night. I mean, it's normal to freak out in SHU and hear voices, but he was pretty sure the Ventie guy exists. And he exists in here too, so I thought it might be hallucination."

"Why did you ask then?" Kise sighed, not really understanding Haizaki's logic.

Haizaki shrugged his shoulders. "Just making sure I wasn't imagining things. Okay, but the point is that this Ventie guy told Kuroko not to talk with me. Or with you guys, I assume," he told the trio without blinking. "And apparently he loves Mayuzumi from the bottom of his heart since Mayuzumi made him realize that the life is worth living or some shit like that."

Akashi was listening intently. He tried to eavesdrop Mayuzumi and Kuroko at the same time, but it wasn't very fruitful since Kuroko hardly even spoke. "Ventie, huh?" he murmured, furrowing his eyebrows. "I have never been in solitary. What is it like in the solitary? How does it look? I have only heard stories."

Aomine cocked his head a little and sighed. "Well, it's like a small box. Maybe like, six to twelve square meters. You have tiny bed with no mattress, thin blanket and a small pillow. No tables. No chairs. Air vent near the floor. Small one," he started to list what he had found from his box. "No windows. The door is also completely blank except for the small slot where they throw the food in. Oh and then there's this hole in the floor where you pee and shit."

Kise was paling by the time Aomine had finished. "And you spend the whole day in that room?"

"Nah, sometimes you'll get out for and hour or less. Usually it's an hour. Depends on your punishment. That's why they call it 23 and 1," Haizaki answered instead of Aomine and pointed towards Kuroko. "Considering that fact I would say he was let out for less than an hour."

The air vent. Vent. Vent. Akashi furrowed his eyebrows. "Can you hear other inmates from the air vent?" Akashi asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions. Vent. Ventie. It would make sense.

Aomine snorted. "God no. It's called solitary for a reason. The only thing you hear is the sound of your breath. Those air vents lead outside. There is nothing on the other side of the vent," he chuckled and shook his head. "Why do you ask?"

Akashi closed his eyes and sighed. Of course. "Ventie is the air vent. Of course it's the air vent. He was talking to the air vent," he told the trio, watching their faces go from surprise to slight amusement. "It's not funny."

"I know," Aomine quickly said. "But it's hard not to see the funniness in the situation where Tetsu is kneeling at the air vent, talking to it. Come on."

Kise slapped Aomine's head. "You're a terrible person," he hissed and grabbed his tray. "I'm going to the chapel. It's nearly time."

Akashi sighed, looking at the clock. Somehow he didn't feel like going, but maybe he could use the God's guidance on this terrible day. He shot a look towards Kuroko. Was he going to come?

Kuroko glanced at the clock. It was weird to know what time it was. He turned his eyes towards Mayuzumi's hands. "I'm going to the Sunday service."

Mayuzumi dropped his spoon. "No, you are not going to the Sunday service. We're going to go to my dorms, and I'm going to give you a book and you will read it to me," he informed, glaring Akashi who was probably waiting for Kuroko to get up from the chair. No way that was going to happen. He knew Akashi went to the Sunday service with Kise. "I don't know how you got your mind twisted in here."

Kuroko looked at his tray and nodded. "Okay," he mumbled. He didn't know what the pain in his chest was. It hurt so much. It was like he couldn't breathe normally. It was suffocating.

Kuroko hoped he'd die from heart attack.

It hurt so much.

 

* * *

 

"What are you taking?" Haizaki asked when he saw Kuroko pop some pills into his mouth. Two weeks had passed and there was no progress whatsoever with Kuroko's situation. Haizaki was ready to give up on him, but Akashi kept saying it will pay off eventually.

Kuroko turned his eyes lazily towards Haizaki. "Antidepressants. Midorima-kun told me to get prescription for antidepressants," he informed. Kuroko turned around like a robot. Everything he did was as if he was programmed to do so.

"How long have you...?"

"Taken them?" Kuroko finished Haizaki's question with monotonous voice. "Today is the 6th day. I guess they are helping. I don't really... feel anything, unless I'm seriously losing it," he explained quietly, placing the bottle of pills on his desk. He stared at them for a very long while. "Mayuzumi-kun says I'm much better now."

Haizaki exhaled through his lips, not really understanding what was going on in Midorima's head. Antidepressants? Really? Is that how things worked out nowadays? Kuroko was not seeing a theraphist. He knew that much. He rarely was in Midorima's office anyways, since he was not having any problems. "Do you miss... Nigou?"

"I heard Nigou is in good hands," Kuroko replied, looking at the fixed _Gone with the Wind_ on this nightstand. Haizaki had fixed it. It was stupid. "Mayuzumi-kun said that it's better without attachments."

"Right," Haizaki murmured, glancing towards the door. Akashi was coming to their cubicle. He came by sometimes. Usually it was to talk with Haizaki - as an excuse to observe Kuroko. "Akashi, what's up?"

Kuroko jumped a little, trying not to have a peek over his shoulder. Akashi didn't concern him anymore. He didn't need the redhead. No. He didn't need anyone, but Mayuzumi. Mayuzumi was right. They all betrayed him. They hated him. Everyone hated him except Mayuzumi.

"I actually came to see Tetsuya," Akashi answered, trying to calm down his nervous heart. He knew the Kuroko Tetsuya he had grown fond of was still somewhere, hidden. So he just needed to dig the real one out, piece by piece. "Tetsuya. Got a minute?"

Kuroko and Haizaki were equally surprised by Akashi's bold behavior. The bluenette carefully turned around, but avoided looking at Akashi's eyes. He was afraid that if he looked into Akashi's eyes, he would lose himself in them. He didn't want to see any affection in them. He didn't want to know that Akashi was still waiting for him to come back. "I can't," he managed to whisper weakly. "Please, go away."

"No," Akashi said and stepped into the cubicle. "No, you're not going to make me back down now," he informed making Kuroko fall down on to the bed. The red head kneeled down, so he could see Kuroko's eyes properly. They were so empty and at the same time you could see the pools of pain and sadness in them. "Do you trust me?"

Kuroko breathed hard, like he was going to have a panic attack. "Akashi-kun. Please. Leave," he begged not finding any power to get up from the bed and just walk away from the situation. Everything Akashi did was to make him feel this way. He was in pain.

Akashi shook his head. Even the antidepressants wouldn't help Kuroko to get rid of the pain he was now feeling. They were just a curtain placed on his emotions. The redhead didn't want to cry, he needed to be strong now. He reached for Kuroko's soft, small and pale hand and squeezed it softly, afraid it might break if he held it too hard. "Do you trust me?"

Haizaki was sure he was going to barf. This was too cheesy. So he got up from his bed and walked out of the cubicle, to a safe distance. Yeah, he wasn't really good with romance.

"No," Kuroko said and forced his hand away from Akashi. "Mayuzumi-kun is right. You're just using me," he whimpered, but when Akashi pulled him towards his chest, he could feel his heart swell. The bluenette fought against his instincts to hug Akashi back. He shouldn't do it. He shouldn't.

_"Akashi-kun is poison to you."_

"But why does it feel so good if he is bad?" Kuroko asked quietly, burying his face into Akashi's neck. He tried to calm down his shaking form, and relax. But somehow he couldn't do that. He pushed Akashi away from him. "Go... Just go away."

Akashi sighed quietly, giving up for now. He stepped out of the cubicle, sparing a one last glance towards Kuroko. He paused his steps when he reached Haizaki.

"Did it work?" Haizaki asked quietly, hoping that the answer would be a positive this time.

"I don't know yet."

Haizaki set his lips in a grim smile. Right.

 

* * *

 

The next time Akashi visited their cubicle was a week later. Kuroko was alone this time. "Hey," Akashi said, leaning his hip against the wall of the cubicle. He didn't want to enter it without Kuroko's permission. This was after, just a test. Akashi was merely testing if the ice would carry him further.

Kuroko had seen Akashi approacing, so this time he wasn't completely spooked. His heart was hammering against his chest again and he was debating whether or not he should answer. In the end, Kuroko's polite personality bested him. "Hello," he murmured quietly, glancing carefully over his shoulder.

"May I come in?" Akashi asked in his usual, smooth and calm tone. He knew that being polite might be the key to the normality. Kuroko was most likely from a better family. He was almost always polite. Akashi was also from a better family. "I most definitely don't want to intrude your privacy."

Kuroko's heart jumped to his throat and he nearly moaned from the need to have someone sit with him and talk about something intelligent. He didn't want to talk about the gory books Mayuzumi made him read. But he owed Mayuzumi. Yes, he did. Should he let Akashi come in? Kuroko was sure that he had been quiet way too long for it to be polite. "Yes," he informed and his eyes darted towards Haizaki's bed. "You may sit on Haizaki-kun's bed."

"Thank you," Akashi said and carefully walked in. He sat on Haizaki's bed, eyes drifting to Kuroko's desk once again. He already knew the bluenette was using antidepressants, but now there was a second bottle right next to it. That couldn't be necessarily a good thing. "How have you been doing lately? I don't see you at the dining hall all that often."

Kuroko sat down on his bed, trying to find something to do. It was best not to stare into Akashi's brilliant eyes. Mayuzumi had already once slapped him for looking at Akashi's direction too long. The conversation they were having with Akashi reminded Kuroko of old people talking. Yes, about the weather, about the other inmates, gossip and some of the new books in the library.

"Do you still hear voices? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Akashi asked once he had made Kuroko comfortable with safe topics. This was very out of Kuroko's comfort zone, Akashi knew it. But it was better to poke than stab.

Kuroko fell silent. "No, I don't. I understand why you are asking. I usually heard him when I went to sleep, but now I have prescription sleeping pills," he admitted quietly. "I have finally been able to sleep properly."

Akashi let out a small sigh of relief. "That's a good thing, really good thing," he admitted, trying to fight a small smile tugging at his lips. "But I must apologize for my behavior from last week. You see, I was acting out of line. I should know better than that."

"No! Don't apologize for that!" Kuroko blurted out louder than he was supposed. Actually, he wasn't supposed to say that at all. He blushed softly. Oh how he was ashamed. "What I meant, is... Is that you were acting very out of line. It was inappropriate. But I accept your apology," he corrected with more serious tone.

Akashi covered his smile with his hand and nodded. "I am truly grateful for your understating nature, Kuroko-san."

Kuroko froze. _Kuroko-san? **Kuroko-san?**_ That didn't sound right at all. He swallowed thickly and forced his eyes to meet Akashi's. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He didn't like that. He hated that. He wanted Akashi to call him by his first name. Kuroko felt so defeated, so broken. It was as if his heart was going to break in pieces once again.

"Are you alright, Kuroko-san?" Akashi tried again since he was quite aware what Kuroko was feeling right now. It was as if Akashi was the one who put the wall between them, not Kuroko. It was going to hurt, Akashi knew it. He let his eyes travel towards the door to the dorms and he saw Mayuzumi. Just in time.

"No!" Kuroko said and got up from his bed. "No. I am not alright. I am Tetsuya. Akashi-kun, I am Tetsuya," he started to rant and he walked closer to the redhead. Kuroko knelt down in front of Akashi and grabbed the redhead's hands into his shaking ones. "Please. Just... Just Tetsuya," he murmured quietly, slowly breaking in front of Akashi. "Please, call me Tetsuya."

Akashi glanced at Mayuzumi's direction and gave him a smile of a devil. "Tetsuya," he murmured quietly, watching as Kuroko slowly raised his eyes to meet his own. "Tetsuya," he repeated softly, noticing the small tears that were falling from his eyes. "Come here," he whispered, opening his arms for Kuroko.

As Kuroko carefully buried himself in Akashi's embrace, Mayuzumi had started to hurry to the cubicle. Akashi was glad that everything was going according to the plan. This was going to be emotionally hard for everyone, but it had to be done.

"Kuroko."

Kuroko flinched and quickly pushed himself away from Akashi's embrace. "Mayuzumi-kun," he whined, not daring to meet his raging gray eyes. "It's not what it looks like," he sobbed, wiping his tears away.

"I'm sure it's not," Mayuzumi said, invading Kuroko's personal space. He grabbed a handful of Kuroko's soft hair and dragged him closer. Akashi made no move to stop him even if his gut was wrenching in pain. This is the only way, Akashi kept ranting to himself.

"No, please, you don't under-"

Mayuzumi slapped Kuroko across the face and Akashi jumped off the bed, ready step in. But when he saw Kagami shake his head by the door, he stopped himself. It was all part of the plan. It was all part of the damn plan. "I think you might need to be reminded why you are here," Mayuzumi hissed into Kuroko's ear and started to drag him away from the dorms.

Akashi cursed quietly, following few steps behind. He saw Kagami soon joining him. "You do know that this might be end of me and Tetsuya," Akashi reminded Kagami as they stopped at the utility room's door. "This was your and Shuzo's plan."

"But you approved," Kagami whispered as he carefully creaked the utility room's door open and slipped a small device inside. "It's as much your fault as it's ours."

Akashi grimaced when he heard the first scream coming from the room and he forced himself to walk away. Kagami was going to take care of this.

Kuroko felt blood trickle from his nose as he was pushed face first against the wall. "Please... Don't," he weakly pleaded, trying to support his weight by pressing his hands against the wall. Mayuzumi's hand was pressed hard into Kuroko's head. "Do-"

Mayuzumi pounded Kuroko's stomach with his knee, making the smaller one finally crumble to Mayuzumi's feet. "You are filth. You are worse than filth," he said, kicking Kuroko's face with his foot. "So easily manipulated," Mayuzumi spat, lifting Kuroko's head by his hair. "Want more?"

Kuroko coughed for air. "No," he whined, but his answer only made Mayuzumi angrier. Mayuzumi pulled the bluenette to his feet, almost tearing the collar.

The smaller one heard the slight rasp of material ripping apart. "No!" he yelled, struggling against Mayuzumi's hands and body. "No. STOP. Don't do this again, please don't," he tried to make Mayuzumi stop with his struggling, but the man was so much more bigger than him. In many ways, a lot more bigger. Kuroko felt the blood soaking his shirt and he tried to stop his nose from bleeding. It didn't help much and he was feeling faint already.

Mayuzumi awed Kuroko's round arse, feeling its skin under his fingertips. "Remember the night I came to your apartment? When I took your virginity while I threathened to kill you?" he asked, nuzzling Kuroko's neck. He breathed in the smell of blood. "It still makes me aroused when thinking about it."

Kuroko felt his stomach turn around when he felt something warm and hard pressed to his entrance. "I said I don't want!" he yelled, but Mayuzumi didn't listen to him. The older one pushed himself inside of Kuroko, enjoying the cries of pain that Kuroko was currently letting out of his cute little mouth. "Stop..." Kuroko whimpered, going slack in Mayuzumi's arms.

"I should have killed you. I should have not forced you to help me. I should have just killed you, because you're more nuisance than pleasure," Mayuzumi grunted with every thrust.

Kuroko fought back sobs. He was wondering why Akashi hadn't done anything. Maybe it was Kuroko's own fault. It was his own fault. He had pushed him away. It wasn't Akashi's business anymore. Mayuzumi was violent, he was rough, he called Kuroko names, he insulted him, he even spit on him, and all through he held Kuroko's neck, cutting off some of his air supply.

The last thing the bluenette saw was flash of red and someone yelling, before he blacked out and fell down to the floor.


	12. Bros before hoes, ain't that right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, good," Aomine smirked. "Anyways, I'm going to hang up no-"
> 
> "I WANT TO TALK WITH SEI-KUN!"
> 
> "IT IS MY CREDIT YOU ARE NOT WASTING IT TETSU!"
> 
> **"INMATES! PLEASE CALM DOWN, DO NOT THROW THE RECEIVER!"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Attempted suicide, flashbacks of child abuse.
> 
> Okay, so, this is the last chapter that actually has prison life in it. This is the second largest chapter yet and I really hope I am not disappointing any of you. There has been so much great feedback. I have also finished the last chapter, which will most likely be up tomorrow morning. Gotta remind you though; I live in Finland so I don't which time it will be for you guys, but anyways.
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter in prison.
> 
> Pssst, I got something for the HaiKuro fans in this chapter. *thumbs up*

Kuroko stared at the pills on his desk. It was 2 A.M. His eyes travelled to Haizaki's sleeping form. Kuroko had been released from the infirmary today. It was two days since Mayuzumi had assaulted him and sent to MAX. At least, that's what the other inmates gossiped about. Kuroko sighed quietly, turning his eyes away from Haizaki.

When you know that you won’t be ever happy in your life and there are more and more reasons for it every day, than you can’t do anything different than just disappearing from this life. Kuroko's eyes landed on the bottle of pills once again. There might be people who would’ve went on and told themselves that "all would get better" but it still wouldn’t.

_They told me I had to go to school to learn something, to help them later on.. But what use is a big car, the biggest house and the prettiest woman if you’ll finally lose it no matter what?_

Kuroko closed his eyes and reached for the two bottles on his desk. What was the point? He didn't have his parents around anymore. He didn't Akashi anymore. He didn't have Momoi. He didn't even have his beloved dog anymore. He didn't have anyone. No more voices in his head. No more Mayuzumi walking behind him like a shadow. The antidepressants didn't work. They just didn't work. They didn't fill the emptiness Kuroko was currently feeling inside of him.

Kuroko opened the cork of his sleeping pills. Maybe if he took enough, he would wither away. Like a tree that had finally fulfilled its task. Giving oxygen to the world. But had Kuroko given anything to the world yet? He paused to look at the pills in his hands.

_Of course not. I have been worthless from the very start._

The bluenette plopped pill after another into his mouth and swallowed. This is it. He hoped that his eternal sleep would be peaceful.

 

* * *

 

_"Tetsuya?"_

_I hid myself in the cupboard and prayed that my dad wouldn't find me. He sounded angry again. I bit my lower lip, trying to breathe in quietly. Sometimes I found it hard to do so. Sometimes I got panic attacks. I was used to them. Ogiwara had said that I should just try to stay calm when they come._

_I saw the cupboard's doors opening and my father's angry face peeked in. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me out of my safe haven. "What the fuck were you doing with Ogiwara's kids?!" he yelled and made me stand up. "You should know better than that!"_

_"I'm sorry!" I whimpered, trying to shield my face from my dad's slaps. "I was just playing basketball with him, that's all! I promise!"_

_"You liar!" he yelled and threw me against to the floor. "I bet you were telling all kinds of things about our family, about our company. You never know when to keep your mouth shut."_

_My father was the CEO of his own company. Ogiwara Shigehiro's family had always been very kind towards me. The problem with me being friends with Shigehiro and his brothers was that my father was in competition with Ogiwara Corporation. I was always accused of giving out information to the Ogiwaras. I didn't even know half of the stuff my father worked on._

_I was only six years old._

_"Wait until you mother hears," he gave one kick to my ribs and then spat onto my head. It was humiliating. My dad wasn't as bad as my mother._

_It continued until I was able to move out. I landed a job at my dad's company. I never saw him around. My boss was Harasawa. He was a good person. There was this time when I actually told him that I wasn't in good terms with my father. I never had to face my father after that._

_But now... I miss them. I hope things would've turned out differently after all._

 

* * *

 

"Is he breathing?" Haizaki asked from Kagami, who was currently rushing the smaller, barely conscious boy to the bathroom. "Is he okay? Oh my god, is he okay?"

Kagami made Kuroko kneel on the toilet and he stuck his fingers to Kuroko's throat, trying to make him vomit. "He'll be fine, don't worry. Sleeping pills aren't that dangerous anymore," he informed and watched Kuroko barf into the toilet. "It's good that you woke up, though. It's always better to make the patient vomit. Even if it's not lethal, they make pretty bad liver damage."

Haizaki let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god," he murmured quietly. Akashi would have skinned him alive if Kuroko had managed to kill himself right before getting out of the prison. Maybe the redhead should've told him that in the first place.

Kagami looked at the pills that were floating in the bowl. How many did he swallow? Right now he could see at least ten pills and some of them were already absorbed into the bluenette's system. He picked up the boy again. "Since I'm the only one in the Suburban right now..."

"You're not going to report?" Haizaki asked, his brows furrowing a little. "But he could get help!"

"No. They would send him to psych ward," Kagami whispered as they walked quietly back to the dorms. Hyuuga was awake, but made no move from his own cubicle. He was concerned, of course he was. Ever since Kuroko had come to the prison, everything was in chaos.

Kagami lowered Kuroko back to the bed and made sure he was wrapped tightly in the blankets. "Haizaki. Look after him in the morning. I'm taking his pills away and I'm doing a bunk inspection in the morning while you guys are at breakfast. Got it?" he said, giving a hard look to Haizaki, who was nodding. "Good. I'll tell Akashi too."

"Noooo, no. You can't tell Akashi," Haizaki hissed quietly, not wanting to wake up the other inmates. "He'll kill me."

Kagami scratched his head. "I'm pretty sure Akashi understands the situation at hand," he informed and started to walk away from the cubicle. "Bunk inspection," he reminded Haizaki and went back to his little aquarium.

Haizaki stared at Kuroko's peaceful face. What a mess. The boy turned towards Kuroko's desk, starting to go through it in case there was sharp objects or anything potentially dangerous.

 

* * *

 

Kuroko winced quietly as he reclaimed his old seat in the dining hall. His butt was still sore, of course it was. He then started to think if he ever had had consensual sex with a man. His eyes drifted towards Aomine. Well, it was pretty consensual. Aomine was good at what he was doing.

 _Why the fuck am I still here?_ Kuroko asked himself. He also was perfectly aware that everyone in this table knew what he had tried to do last night. He also saw Haizaki sitting at this table, next to Kise. It was so weird. It was as if he had missed an entire season of his favorite series and tried to get back on the track. _I'm so pathetic I can't even kill myself properly._

"Tetsuya. You need to eat," Akashi murmured quietly, offering a strawberry yogurt with worried eyes. The first thing redhead had heard this morning was that Kuroko had tried to overdose on sleeping pills last night. He couldn't exactly blame him. He didn't even question Kuroko's motives. It was completely understandable. Kuroko had gone through so much. It wasn't fair and he didn't blame Kuroko for wanting to end it all.

Kuroko's eyes met Akashi's. It was as if he could see himself in those mismatched eyes. He wanted to drown in them. He slowly reached for the yogurt, flinching when his fingers accidentally touched Akashi's. "I'm sorry," he said and withdrew his hand altogether. _I can't let something this filthy touch someone like Akashi-kun._

Akashi gently grabbed Kuroko's hand, despite his protests, and placed the yogurt on it. "Eat up," he said softly, letting go of his hand and resuming to his own breakfast. They had all agreed not to coddle Kuroko too much. It probably wasn't something Kuroko wanted them to do. Acknowledge, that he had tried to end his life last night, but do not overreact. Aomine and Akashi had nearly decided to lock Kise into the utility room since he wouldn't calm down and think rationally.

The redhead was no pleased to notice, that Kise was acting like his normal self, throwing mindless insults at Haizaki. It was the usual playful banter. They just wanted Kuroko to feel like he was at home again. There was nothing to be afraid of and no one judged his decision. Everyone understood him perfectly.

Kuroko slowly emptied his yogurt cup, enjoying the cool substance travelling to his empty stomach. He licked his lips after he had finished and looked around the dining hall. Everything was back to normal, except that Haizaki was now occupying one of their usually empty seats. No one stared at him. No one looked at him like he was seconds away from losing his mind. "Akashi-kun?" he carefully asked, not wanting others to hear him speak.

Akashi immediately realized that Kuroko didn't want to share his next words with anyone. He placed down his coffee mug. "Do you want to go to the shack?" he asked slowly, not wanting to scare Kuroko. He didn't know if Kuroko was comfortable being around him yet.

Kuroko felt his throat constrict and he shook his head. No, he wasn't ready yet. "I.. It's not like I don't trust you," he hurried to explain and closed his eyes. Image of Mayuzumi attacked his mind and he quickly opened them again.

"I understand," Akashi smiled softly. "What is it, then? What do you want to talk about?"

"Why didn't you help me?" Kuroko sniffled quietly, trying to hide his face from the rest of the group. He didn't want to worry anyone. This was between him and Akashi.

Akashi sighed quietly. Maybe he should have explained things to Kuroko beforehand and ask for his approval. But the reason why he didn't do it was, because Kuroko wasn't in his right mind to do decisions like that. He could have told Mayuzumi. "When you... When you were taken away I couldn't sit and not do anything anymore. So... I worked behind your back, I'm sorry that I did that, but I needed to get you away from that place," Akashi started his explanation and made sure that Kuroko understood every single word he was saying. This was a 50/50 situation. Kuroko might be grateful for everything Akashi had done to him, or he could deny all his offers and everything would be ruined.

"Two months into your SHU sentence I called to my attorney. Nijimura Shuzo. I told everything you had told me on the night we were in that shack," Akashi murmured. "He promised he'd help to get you out of there. He also promised to re-open your case once you were ready for it."

Kuroko listened to Akashi's explanation without interrupting him. Somehow the bluenette already knew where this was going.

"We realized how bad the situation was when you didn't even look at our way anymore. It was all about Mayuzumi. We had to do something. Kagami.. Kagami is also aware of the truth. They talked during a visiting day and came up with a plan to make Mayuzumi confess and at the same time we could finally lock him somewhere else. When they brought the plan to me, I didn't approve it immediately. After sleeping on it, I realized there was no other way."

Kuroko's eyes widened at the memory of utility room's door slightly creaking open and then quickly shutting. "I thought someone was going to save me," he whimpered, reliving the memory over and over again. "But Kagami-kun slipped a recording device inside...?"

Akashi sighed and reached for Kuroko's hand. Thankfully he didn't pull away from his touch. "Yes. He barged inside when he had heard Mayuzumi confessing," he murmured quietly, drawing circles to Kuroko's hand. He wanted him to stay calm. "I understand if you don't want to be around me or Kagami anymore. I understand if you don't want to rely on Shuzo... We miscalculated the situation, honestly. We didn't think Mayuzumi would as far as... rap-"

Kuroko swallowed thickly and shook his head. "Stop. No. I didn't go through all that just to throw it all away," he admitted quietly, trying to hold back the tears that were trying hard to push through. "But before that... I have to confess something myself too."

***

_"So, uh, things got a little bit complicated."_

"What do you mean a little bit complicated?" Akashi asked, not understanding why Kuroko's case suddenly became complicated. Then Akashi realized what had made things complicated. "He said he had something to confess."

_"Yeaaah... That's kinds the problem right now. The higher ups are demanding the Teiko explain how they could fuck up this badly. You do know, that you have sat there several months for no reason at all? Your father is so close to file a sue..."_

Akashi closed his eyes. Oh no. Oh no. Kuroko had told Nijimura about the heroin. "Yes. I know. I took the blame with Hanamiya. Kuroko was never mentioned in any reports. You can tell that to my old man. It was my fault."

_"You got it bad, man. Anyways, this basically means that Kuroko's sentence will be re-calculated, which probably means he will stay there couple more months and you're getting out next week. If things go as planned, of course. Man, you should've told me that this was going to be a hassle. I have never filed this much paperwork."_

Akashi was giving a hard glare to Kuroko's direction. He was glad that Kuroko was back to normal, but this was not something he wanted the bluenette to do. "How is he only sitting couple months?"

_"Yeah, I was able to make it so. You know, he didn't sell it to anyone. He didn't forward it to anyone. He only used it himself. It would be a year normally, but since he has already been there-"_

"I get it," Akashi sighed quietly. "Is this the best you can do?"

_"I'm sorry. It is the best deal I can make for Kuroko right now. Hey, I did a lot better job than that old man on Kuroko's case. How is he doing, by the way?"_

Akashi spared another glance at the bluenette's direction. "He's been doing better. I'm sure he will be thrilled to hear that I'm getting out next week, he's a cocky bastard," he chuckled quietly. He could hear Nijimura laughing on the other side of the phone. "Hey... One more thing."

_"Yeah?"_

"Can you contact a woman named Alexandra Garcia?"

 

* * *

 

"You're a piece of shit, Tetsuya," Akashi said once he had finished his call with Nijimura. "I can't believe you did that."

Kuroko tried to hide his smile. "When you're getting out?"

Akashi sighed and ruffled Kuroko's hair gently. "Next week. Why the fuck would you do something like that? I didn't take the fall for nothing. Now I did it for nothing."

The entire time Kuroko had waited Akashi to finish the call, he had tried to found courage to say three simple words to Akashi. He thought he was ready when Akashi had insulted him for being shit. But now that he was questioning him about it, he found himself frozen. Was it too soon? Was Akashi going to turn him down?

"Tetsuya? Are you scared? Shit. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not mad at you. Even if it looks like it, I'm not angry. I'm just... I'm just worried. You're going to be left alone with Daiki and Ryouta and I don't know if I can trust those two," Akashi said, trying to make Kuroko relax a little. "Hey, are you listening? Breathe."

"Iloevyuou."

"What?"

"I love you."

Akashi thought that his whole world stopped at that moment. What? Did Kuroko just say that? he gripped Kuroko's shoulders gently. The redhead wasn't sure when was the last time he had heard someone saying those words to him. He did not expect to hear them in a prison of all places. "Can you say it again?"

"I... I love you, Akashi-kun," Kuroko whispered, grabbing Akashi's shirt for support. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

Akashi thought that his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He wrapped his arms around Kuroko's small form and squeezed him closer. "I love you too," he whispered to Kuroko's ear, trying to fight down tears. This time, however, it was futile. He was crying and it was all Kuroko's fault.

"Akashi-kun..."

"Sei-kun. Call me Sei-kun," Akashi asked quietly, not wanting to let go of the pearl he had finally found from the bottom of the ocean.

"Sei-kun..."

 

* * *

 

"Damn, you look good in normal clothes," Aomine commented when they were all sitting in the visiting room. Kuroko and Kise exchanged small looks and laughed. "Aomine-kun, please don't hit on my boyfriend," Kuroko joked, slapping Aomine's arm gently.

Akashi rolled his eyes. He was wearing black skinny jeans and white dress shirt. He had came here straight from work. The redhead hadn't even realized how much he had missed his friends. "I always look good. I can pull off those brown khakis too."

"No, you really can't," Kise chuckled and shook his head. "Did you get a job? You look so professional it's making my eyes hurt."

"Yes. I'm selling cars now. It pays alright and I know what I'm selling," Akashi said and reached for Kuroko's hand. "I think when you two, I mean Daiki and Ryouta, get out you should find some real work too. Ryouta, no modelling for you. And Daiki, do not blow up anymore buildings."

"I'm going to be old by the time I get out of this hellhole," Aomine grumbled. "You don't suppose that Nijimura guy could help me out too?"

Akashi chuckled and took a business card from his wallet. "Give him a call next week. I'll give him heads up before that," he said and finally decided to give Kuroko the attention he was so much craving for. "Another five months and you'll be good to go."

Kuroko nodded, trying not to feel too giddy about it. "I'm putting up my best behavior now. Haizaki-kun has helped a lot," he mumbled quietly, suddenly blushing because of a memory. "Don't get mad. He.. We..."

"Haizaki kissed him to make fresh meat back away from him. Bros before hoes, ain't that right?" Aomine tried to stifle his laughter, but was unable to do so when he saw Akashi's face. He had never seen him like that.

Kuroko quickly squeezed Akashi's hand. "It didn't mean anything! He was just trying to make it clear that I am not avai-"

Akashi actually laughed a little. He is laughing, Aomine thought, not really knowing what was going on. He seemed to be so relaxed. "Dude, you okay?" he snorted in amused tone and watched Kuroko's face go from horrified to 'I'm-going-to-shit-my-pants-if-you-don't-stop-laughing'.

"No. I get it," Akashi chuckled, pressing a small kiss to Kuroko's hand. His eyes were twinkling from amusement. It was endearing sight to Kuroko's eyes. "Tell Shougo my regards. Just... keep it decent, okay? I don't want my boyfriend to be molested all the time, because it's **necessary.** "

Kuroko gulped. It was a threat. He did not want Haizaki to touch him, but there was nothing Akashi could do, so he tried to play it off casually. Akashi was no way okay with this revelation.

"So... How exactly did it happen?"

 

* * *

 

_Kuroko was sitting in the TV room. Haizaki was sitting next to him. Aomine was sitting next to Haizaki and Kise was accompanying Imayoshi for picking up new inmates. Everything was back to normal. Akashi had been free for few weeks, and Haizaki had taken his old 'job' as the top dog. Kuroko was now working in the laundry room - not trusted with sharp objects even though it had been a frame. Just to be safe, they had said._

_Then there was this new guy who kept pining on Kuroko in library. In dining hall. In the laundry room. In the TV room. In the dorms. It was starting to drive Kuroko crazy. His name was Furihata. He was like a small chihuahua in lion's den. Kuroko found it somehow endearing, but the fact that the boy followed him everywhere was extremely annoying._

_So, on that day, in the TV room, Furihata had mustered up his courage and taken a seat next to Kuroko. The bluenette was now feeling very uncomfortable sitting between Furihata and Haizaki. The other one was of course, an adult lion who knew what he wanted and knew how to be in control of his own desires, and the other one was overexcited chihuahua who couldn't stop wagging his tail. Kuroko preferred the adult lion._

_"Kuroko-kun?"_

_Kuroko suppressed a sigh and flashed a polite small. "Yes? What is it Furihata-kun?"_

_Furihata was fiddling with his fingers, until he finally grabbed Kuroko's hands in his and leaned closer. "I can see that you're sometimes very alone, and I can't help but feel your pain. And I think I have fallen in love with you."_

_"Uhm," Kuroko mumbled and spared a glance in Aomine's and Haizaki's direction. Those bastards were just laughing. He turned his attention towards Furihata. "You see, I'm actually taken..."_

_"But he or she isn't in this prison? I know how lonely you must fe-"_

_Haizaki circled his hand around Kuroko's shoulder and nuzzled his neck boldly. He could feel the smaller boy heating up under his touches. Of course, Haizaki was hot piece of shit and when you was touched by him, you tend to heat up too. "Excuse me, you little shit. But this guy, right here, is not available."_

_"Ha-Haizaki-kun!" Kuroko spluttered and looked panicked. "No, you got it wrong. Haizaki-kun is not my bo-"_

_Haizaki pressed gently his lips against Kuroko's before he could blow up this awesome chance. What he didn't expect was Kuroko actually going with it and gently answering his kiss back. The kiss itself didn't last long, but Haizaki kept close to Kuroko until Furihata had apologized and scurried away from the TV room._

_"Did that just happen?" Aomine asked, finally bursting out laughing. "Oh my god. I'm gonna miss you Tetsu."_

_"Shut up..."_

 

* * *

 

"And that's how it happened..." Kuroko mumbled quietly to Akashi, who had been intently listening to their little story. Kise was still laughing by the time Kuroko had finished.

"That story never gets old. I swear. I nearly choked on my dinner when Aominecchi started to tell what had happened between Haizakicchi and Kurokocchi," Kise grinned. "But it's all good now since everyone thinks Haizakicchi is Kurokocchi's lover, so they don't get too close to our little cutie butt. I wanted to do that for him, but... Aominecchi said I'm not intimidating enough."

Akashi sighed quietly, hoping that the kiss they shared in TV room would be their first and their last. Even though he did find the whole scenario funny, he was still possessive and he did not like sharing. "So Shougo is sitting in my seat?"

Kuroko nodded. "Yeah. Sakurai-kun has also joined our table, so... It's been a bit different than usual," he explained, thinking how Aomine and Haizaki both kept stealing food from Sakurai's tray. "I really missed you, Sei-kun."

Aomine cleared his throat and nudged Kise's ribs. "We should probably get going so that you guys get some 'privacy'. Or as much privacy as you can get in the visiting room," he said and started to walk Kise out of the room, leaving Kuroko and Akashi alone in the table.

**"Five minutes, inmates!"**

"I didn't realize that we have so little time left," Akashi sighed quietly, scooting a little bit closer to Kuroko. "I also learned that we are allowed to have real skin-to-skin contact only two times. Once when I come here and once when I leave. I don't really like that rule," he admitted, drawing circles to Kuroko's palm.

Kuroko blushed softly, enjoying the comfortable silence that had surrounded their table for few seconds. "Five months," Kuroko reminded, tilting his head to the side. "Would you like to help me search for a flat? I mean, since Momoi-san got rid of our flat and moved in with Wakamatsu-kun..." he murmured and gave Akashi the letter he had received from Momoi a week ago. "She's really sorry about it. I kind of understand. They need a bigger place now that... They are getting a child... and they have Wakamatsu's big ass dog."

Akashi took the letter from Kuroko's hands and quickly scanned it through. "Have you tried calling her?" he asked softly. Kuroko nodded. "Didn't answer?" Kuroko shook his head. Akashi sighed quietly. Ugly break ups were the worst. "You can stay with me."

"What?"

**"Visiting is over! Please say your good byes and move towards the exit."**

"Think about it," Akashi said quietly, giving the letter back to Kuroko. He got up from the chair and the boys hugged. "I'll swing by next week. If you have a need, all you gotta do is call, remember?" he murmured to Kuroko's ear and kissed his forehead tenderly. "I'll see you next week. Love you."

Kuroko had to pull away from Akashi when Kagami placed his hand on his shoulder. They had been there too long. "I love you too," Kuroko whined as Imayoshi started to escort Akashi to the exit.

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Kuroko stabbed Kagami with his elbow. "Please. Just because you don't have a successful love life, doesn't mean that you get to barf on mine," he huffed and walked with Kagami to the corridor. "Besides, it was your fault for making me barf my sleeping pills."

Kagami tugged Kuroko's hair gently. "I'm glad you're acting normal again."

"Define **normal.** "

 

* * *

 

"What is that guy doing?" Kuroko asked one day when they were sitting in the TV room. Aomine turned his around to look at the guys Kuroko was talking about. The man was crouched down near the vending machine and kept watching at his clock. Occasionally he tried to peek under the vending machine.

"Probably cooking ramen," Haizaki informed after he had seen enough of that crazy and he turned his attention back to the television. "You put water and the noodles into a garbage back and then you push it under the vending machine. Hot air cooks them. Never tried it before. It sounds fucking disgusting."

Kuroko hummed quietly. "I can get ramen packs from commissary, right?"

Aomine scrunched his nose. "No. You are not going to do that. I will call Akashi if you do that," he said, trying to sound threatening, but apparently Kuroko had already decided to try it since he had disappeared from the seat. "Hey Tetsu!"

Haizaki barked out a laugh. "Oh man. He's totally enjoying his last five months in here."

It didn't take long for Kuroko to come back with the garbage bag, water and noodles. "So I just put it in there?" he asked from Haizaki. Both of the taller men had walked to the vending machine and they watched Kuroko work with his plastic bag.

"I am seriously telling Akashi."

"I think he will find it endearing."

 

* * *

 

_"He did what?"_

Aomine sighed and rubbed his face. "Yes. He did crazy inmates stuff. I mean, I don't blame, it was a genius idea," he admitted and stared at Kuroko who was standing next to him, telling that it was his turn to talk with 'Sei-kun'.

_"That can't be hygienic. Tell Tetsuya he should not do that again."_

"You should not do that again, Tetsu," Aomine said to Kuroko, who only pouted and turned his back to Aomine. "Yeah, he standing right next to me, demanding to talk with you. Yeah, I know. You're coming tomorrow. No, he's cool. Haizaki hasn't done anything stupid. Oh yeah, how are thing going with _the baby_?"

_"He's good, don't even worry about."_

"Oh, good," Aomine smirked. "Anyways, I'm going to hang up no-"

"I WANT TO TALK WITH SEI-KUN!"

"IT IS MY CREDIT YOU ARE NOT WASTING IT TETSU!"

**"INMATES! PLEASE CALM DOWN, DO NOT THROW THE RECEIVER!"**

_"I thought you guys were supposed to be on your best behavior..."_

Aomine slammed down the receiver, ending the call effectively. "There are no problems, sir. Tetsu here was just feeling a bit emotional, that's all," he said and tried to make Kuroko calm down. "Jesus Christ, go pray on you sins, Tetsu. You're sins are lust and gluttony."

"I haven't had sex with Sei-kun yet, you can't tell that my sin is lust," Kuroko scoffed as they walked away from the call area. "Your sin is lust. Jesus, you and Kise did it in the chapel! You can't do that."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "You're not exactly the purest inmate around here either," he reminded Kuroko and flicked his forehead gently. "Noodlehead. Did you know you're not allowed to do that?"

"Why do they sell ramen in commissary then?" Kuroko sighed.

"Beats me."

 

* * *

 

"Can you imagine that? A fucking toast with Murasakibara's face in it."

Kuroko rolled his eyes. "It wasn't his face. Come on, it was just burnt a little," he chuckled quietly, not wanting everyone in the visiting room hear about Aomine's deal with the toast. "Koganei-kun made an altar for the toast. Really, they just keep worshipping him from day to day."

Akashi didn't want to admit that he missed the prison life a little. They were so happy about simple things. All he did was wake up, sell cars, make food, go to sleep. That was his daily pattern. Nothing exciting never happened anymore.

"And then Izuki comes up behind us like BAM! And he's like 'This could have been true loaf' and then he goes on with 'Bread you wish you hadn’t broken up with me' and I was howling. Oh man, Izuki is so great."

Kuroko tried not to giggle when Aomine was explaining Izuki's terrible puns. "Sei-kun?" he asked when he realized that the redhead was only smiling softly, not chuckling like usually.

Akashi shook his head and placed his hand on Kuroko's. "What'll it take to get you in bread with me?"

"HOLY MOTHER OF BREAD," Aomine howled and toppled over from his laugh. "It hurts, oh god, it hurts so much," he whined on the floor, and people were looking at them like the trio was seriously losing it. "I thought you didn't know how to joke."

Akashi chuckled at Kuroko's and Aomine's faces. "I don't consider bad puns as jokes."

"Ouch, what a burn," Aomine laughed and landed his butt back on the chair. "Man, you look so good again. And, you're funnier. You're so relaxed. Are you high?"

Kuroko slapped Aomine's arm. "Of course Sei-kun isn't high."

"No. I'm not high. And of course I'm relaxed. I can eat anything I want, I always have clean set of clothes available that actually fits," he said and pointed at Kuroko's shirt that was definitely three sizes too big. "And my bed is huge. I have a jacuzzi. I can watch TV without someone yelling to change the channel."

Kuroko sighed quietly. "Three months left."

Aomine poked Kuroko's shoulder. "Hey, dude. I have five years."

Akashi's eyes widened a little. "Did Shuzo manage to do something about your sentence?" he asked, not really believing something like **that** was possible, but apparently his attorney was a gift from the heavens. "You got... 11 years off? Did Sakurai-?"

"Yeah. We both have five years now. Long story short; we lied a little."

Kuroko pouted. "Yes. You lied in the court, hand on the bible. Haizaki-kun even helped and blamed it all on his street gang. I can't believe how much of a bastards you guys are. People still died."

"It was an accident," Aomine sighed and rubbed his face. "Come on, Kise gets out next year. You're getting out in three months. I'm coming right behind. Haizaki has three years. Murasakibara is getting out in four months. We are going to have one hell of a reunion once we get out."

"And no one thinks it will be suspicious to have highly 'dangerous' criminals in one place at the same time?" Kuroko asked, smile tugging at his lips.

Akashi smiled softly. "We can host them in our home, Tetsuya."

Kuroko blushed softly. "I never said I would agree on it."

"But I know you will."

"Oh god, you guys are making me throw up."

"Aomine-kun..."


	13. I love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko felt himself being carefully lowered onto their king-sized bed. Akashi was slowly crawling over him, latching his mouth gently against Kuroko's throat and neck area. The bluenette was melting under the redhead's soft touches. He remembered the first time he had met him. Kuroko had nearly bolted away from the table just because Akashi was intimidating to his eyes. Kuroko inhaled sharply when Akashi's hand slipped under his sweater, feeling for the soft skin underneath.
> 
> Yet, Akashi was the most gentle person he had ever met. Underneath those piercing mismatched eyes was someone who took care of his own people. He had never hurt Kuroko on purpose. He had never raised his hand against the bluenette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have good news and bad news for you guys. Or more like, it all depends on what you guys think... Anyways. The good news are that I would like to make this story part of a series. Like, I would love to write some prequels and sequels to this story. Every story would deal with their history a little bit better and there would also be what happens when they get out, stuff like that. How their life go forwards. Bad news is that I won't do it if it feels like you guys don't want to read, and also I wouldn't be writing it immediately. I have some oneshots and other stuff in my mind that I want to write first. Alright? c:
> 
> So, this is the last chapter of "Bad Behavior", for now. Fluff happens. Smut happens. Happy ending happens. I'm glad that so many of you decided to stick all the way to the end even if the pairing was not to your liking. *bows*
> 
> Thank you.

"It's beautiful."

Akashi smirked and opened the passenger seat's door for Kuroko. "I know," he said making sure that Kuroko was buckled up before closing the door. He then circled around the car and hopped on the driver's seat. The redhead wasn't expecting Kuroko to suddenly lean towards him and to find himself devoured by Kuroko's lips. Akashi petted Kuroko's cheeks gently before pushing him to sit down. "Eager?"

Kuroko blushed a little, trying not to feel like he was drowning in the big gray hoodie that was given to him from prison. He actually liked the smell of detergent they used in there. Then again, Akashi smelled like cologne, and holy crap Kuroko was in heaven. They car smelt like leather and the sound of engine nearly lulled Kuroko to asleep.

"I still can't believe I'm out," Kuroko mumbled quietly, looking at the snowy sceneries that went past. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know where Akashi lived. "I was supposed to sit fifteen. I sat one."

Akashi briefly glanced at Kuroko before turning his eyes towards the road. He turned on the radio, figuring that Kuroko would enjoy it. "I'm glad you sat only one. You don't really fit into the prison," he said quietly, not wanting to upset Kuroko by painful memories.

Kuroko hummed, watching Akashi's attire. So simple, yet so elegant. Akashi seemed to like black colours. "I miss Nigou," he finally admitted, turning his head away from Akashi. He bit his quivering lower lip and fought back tears. "I heard that Kagami-kun's roommate took him, but..."

Akashi tried really hard not to blurt anything from his mouth. "Yeah. Garcia-san has been taking really good care of him," he partially lied, placing his hand on Kuroko's knee. "Sorry, I can't keep my hand there all the time since..."

"Yeah, you have to switch gears," Kuroko chuckled and wiped his tears. "Sorry, I wasn't meant to get all mopey now that I am finally out. I just realized I'm leaving a lot behind. Kise-kun. Aomine-kun. Haizaki-kun... I'm gonna miss them."

"There's always visiting days. You bet they are going to call everyday now," Akashi informed and changed lanes, since he needed to take left. "You never answered my question."

Kuroko blinked sheepishly and he shrugged. "I thought you knew the answer already," he said and watched as Akashi's lips curled into a bright smile.

Beautiful.

 

* * *

 

They were in elevator. Kuroko was feeling giddy the moment Akashi said that he lived in a penthouse, in Kyoto. Of course he was excited. Kuroko had never been in a penthouse before. He had only seen movies. "I didn't know you were rich," Kuroko said out of the blue.

"I am not. My father is," Akashi sighed quietly and watched as the elevator doors cracked open. They walked three meters to Akashi's door and by that time the elevator had already left. "Which reminds me that we need to have a pretty serious talk once you've made yourself home," he said with a gentle smile. He took his keys and opened the door. "I want you to close your eyes."

"Why?" Kuroko said, not really wanting to do that. Akashi never did anything cool when his eyes were closed. Back in the shack Kuroko had to initiate everything. Akashi didn't have guts.

"Just do it," Akashi chuckled and watched as Kuroko closed his eyes. He took Kuroko's hands and led him to the apartment, closing door after them. He kept pushing Kuroko through the apartment until he made the boy sit down on love seat. Akashi snapped his fingers, watching as his companion traveled from bedroom to living room. "Sit."

"I am sitting," Kuroko mumbled quietly, not really understanding what Akashi was going on about. He was sure he heard a soft steps before Akashi had commanded him. "Can I open my eyes already?"

Akashi hummed and sat next to Kuroko. "Yeah. You can open them now."

Kuroko carefully opened his eyes, first realizing that one of the walls was actually just a really large window and he could see the skyline and all the lights. It was already dark, but somehow all the Christmas lights around the city makes it all more marvelous. Then he realized that someone, no, something was staring at him from the corner of his eyes.

"You said you missed him, didn't you?" Akashi whispered quietly.

Kuroko's eyes started to water as he slowly realized that Nigou was sitting there. He was had grown so big. He looked so old. Or more like, he wasn't a puppy at all anymore. "Oh my god," he squeaked quietly, attacking the dog with the most gentle hug he could produce.

Akashi watched them reunite and he couldn't help but smile. He had never seen Kuroko this happy. He never wanted Kuroko to look sad again.

 

* * *

 

It had been a week since Kuroko had made himself home in Akashi's apartment. Akashi had picked up Kuroko's clothes and essentials from Momoi when he had read the letter. The redhead now realized that he might have been a little bit rude when he had visited her, especially when Momoi had been so close to crying after hearing the truth about Kuroko's sentence.

"Sei-kun?"

Akashi lifted his eyes from the newspaper. "In the kitchen," he informed calmly. "Was it cold outside?" he asked. Nigou came jogging to the kitchen and made himself comfortable near the heater. Okay, guess that answered Akashi's question.

"Mmm. A little," Kuroko said, walking to the kitchen in his over-sized sweater and black leggings. He walked closer to Akashi and stole his steaming tea mug. "You didn't make me any," he complained, pecking Akashi's cheek gently.

"You have cold lips," Akashi murmured, grabbing Kuroko's waist gently and bringing him closer. He watched Kuroko take a sip from his herbal tea.

Kuroko drank the rest of Akashi's tea, staying close to the redhead. "Why don't you make them warm up then?" he asked, bringing his lips closer to Akashi's. They shared a gentle kiss which soon turned to be a lot more passionate when Akashi pulled Kuroko to his lap. Akashi realized only then, that they had never been this intimate with one another. Not in the shack, not in the prison in general, not in this apartment. The redhead had been extremely careful of not crossing the line, considering that Kuroko did not have happy memories of having sex with the male population.

But now, something was happening, and the redhead was not complaining. Kuroko buried his hands into Akashi's hair and deepened the kiss by inviting the redhead into his mouth. They massaged their tongues together, and the bluenette couldn't help but whine when Akashi pulled away from him. Their lips were barely touching and they were breathing each other's air. It made Kuroko dizzy and he felt intoxicated by the kiss they just shared.

Kuroko leaned in for another kiss, making sure to grind his hips against Akashi's. He felt the redhead tremble under him. "Sei-kun," he moaned quietly into Akashi's ear, nibbling his earlobe gently.

Akashi groaned, getting up from the chair while balancing Kuroko on his arms. He felt the bluenette wrap his hands around his waist. "Bedroom?" he suggested and he could feel Kuroko nod against his skin. Wonderful. He had not expected things to escalate so quickly, but right now he did not really mind. Akashi couldn't even remember when was the last time he had made love to anyone. He wanted Kuroko to feel special, but he wasn't sure how he was going to do it.

Kuroko felt himself being carefully lowered onto their king-sized bed. Akashi was slowly crawling over him, latching his mouth gently against Kuroko's throat and neck area. The bluenette was melting under the redhead's soft touches. He remembered the first time he had met him. Kuroko had nearly bolted away from the table just because Akashi was intimidating to his eyes. Kuroko inhaled sharply when Akashi's hand had slipped under his sweater, feeling for the soft skin underneath.

Yet, Akashi was the most gentle person he had ever met. Underneath those piercing mismatched eyes was someone who took care of his own people. He had never hurt Kuroko on purpose. He had never raised his hand against the bluenette. Kuroko whimpered quietly when Akashi bit into his skin, not drawing blood. It was as if Akashi was in more control of himself than he had been back in that shack. Kuroko's own hand traveled to Akashi's white dress shirt and he started to pop the buttons open one by one. This was the first time. First time seeing each other completely naked. It was exciting.

"You okay?" Akashi murmured as he removed Kuroko's shirt, watching the unmarked skin before him. He was glad that no one got to ruin it permanently. He did see all those white lines of Kuroko's arms where he had scratched his skin broken. Heroin was a terrible drug. He brought Kuroko's arms closer to him and placed small kisses on the scars.

Kuroko gulped audibly as he watched Akashi kiss his scars. It was as if Akashi acted he looked beautiful in those. It was... weird. He licked his lips. "I have never felt this good before," he quietly admitted and closed his eyes as Akashi placed a small kiss on his lips. The redhead shrugged his dress shirt off from his shoulders, letting Kuroko's hands travel on his stomach and chest. "You're pretty toned," he admitted quietly, dragging his fingers gently towards the small line of dark red hair that was situated right under his bellybutton. "Oh shit, that's hot."

Akashi laughed quietly, feeling the heat pool in his lower stomach as Kuroko tickled his hairs. "Is it?" he murmured gently, rubbing circles into Kuroko's hips. The redhead latched his lips down onto Kuroko's chest, marking the area as he traveled south. Only his way he gently nipped Kuroko's pink buds, making the smaller one arch his back. "Tell if you don't like something," he breathed against Kuroko's stomach, kissing his bellybutton tenderly.

Kuroko could only hum in agreement, not really knowing what to do with his hands. When Akashi started to take off his leggings, Kuroko started to feel nervous. Akashi seemed to notice this and he pressed butterfly kisses on Kuroko's lower abdomen. "Trust me," he murmured quietly, dragging his tongue against Kuroko's sensitive skin. After Kuroko had relaxed again, Akashi got rid of Kuroko's boxers and leggings at the same time. He watched as Kuroko crossed his legs, probably more from shame than fear.

Akashi gently grabbed Kuroko's knees and he spread his feet apart slowly. "Don't hide," he whispered huskily, placing his lips against Kuroko's soft inner thigh. He nuzzled the skin, enjoying the faint smell on vanilla soap on his skin. It was all in all, still a very childish smell to Akashi's nose.

Kuroko watched as Akashi carefully took the bluenette into his mouth, licking the shaft experimentally. The redhead wanted to see what Kuroko liked and what he didn't. Akashi wasn't the one to usually give head to someone, but now he wanted Kuroko to feel special.

"Ouch," Kuroko hissed suddenly and Akashi carefully took Kuroko's length away from his mouth. "Your teeth, mind the teeth," he murmured, suddenly feeling at loss when the cold air hit his dick.

Akashi blushed a little, muttering he was sorry and continued to explore Kuroko's taste. He didn't even dare to try bringing the length to his throat, just because he wasn't experienced enough. Akashi hollowed his cheeks and hummed, making Kuroko feel the vibrations.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Kuroko hissed, arching his back and curling his toes from the pleasure he was currently riding on. He was panting and the room felt too warm all of sudden. The bluenette also decided that Akashi had too much clothes on. He gently pushed Akashi away from him, so that he could reach his zipper. "Take these off."

Akashi chuckled, licking his lips. "As you wish," he retorted, peeling his jeans away along with his socks. The redhead watched Kuroko drink in his body. "Take a picture, it might last a bit longer."

"Can I?" Kuroko joked as Akashi bit his inner thigh gently. He giggled. "I take that as a no. I thought I could show it to Kise-kun when we go to visit next weekend," he gasped when Akashi bit his thigh a little bit harder. "God, I was just joking."

Akashi shook his head softly, placing a kiss on his thigh. "I want to go all the way with you," he whispered, running his hand through Kuroko's blue locks. "I have wanted you so long."

Kuroko blushed all the way to his shoulders. "I want you too," he admitted, voice cracking from the feels he was currently having. "But... I'm really... Really fucking afraid of doing it," Kuroko finished, feeling tears pool in his eyes again.

"Shhhh," Akashi hushed, placing kisses on Kuroko's closed eyelids. "We can try. If it's really bad we can wait," he murmured, massaging the bluenette's stomach gently. "Is there something I should know before we even try?"

Kuroko kept his eyes closed, trying to relax again. He could trust Akashi. He would trust his life into Akashi's hands if he needed to. Kuroko hoped he would never have to do that though. "Don't take me from behind," he asked quietly, watching Akashi nod. Kuroko was glad he understood. "At least not yet."

"Mmhm," Akashi murmured and reached for his nightstand. He opened the drawer and retrieved a small bottle of lube. "Just tell me if-"

"I will," Kuroko smiled softly, reaching for the pillows. He started to stack them under his back with help of Akashi. The bluenette had wanted this to happen for a long time, but he had been too afraid to even suggest doing something intimate. There had been a time when Kuroko had heard moaning in the showers, back in the prison and he had secretly hoped that Akashi would take him right at that moment, in the shower. He was glad they had both decided to wait.

Akashi poured a generous amount of lube to his fingers, trying to warm it first. He then brought his first finger against Kuroko's entrance, teasing it with soft probing. Akashi saw that Kuroko was holding his breath, so he used his free hand to draw circles onto his stomach. "Breathe," he reminded the bluenette at the same time as he managed to get his first finger inside. "This is not going to be like those other times."

Kuroko nodded, trying to even out his breath. He felt Akashi's index finger wiggle inside of him, trying to make room for the second one. What he didn't expect was the sudden warmth and wetness at his rear. "Wh-what are you-" he was cut off by sudden pleasure and he trembled roughly. "Oh... God..."

Akashi smirked. He had promised it was going to be good. To be honest, he would not have licked Kuroko's hole if if he hadn't seen Kuroko taking shower before going out with Nigou. He had seen, so it was all good. "I'm sorry for all the things I made you go through," he then whispered, blowing some warm air into Kuroko's twitching hole. Akashi added the second finger and he carefully scissored his insides, watching for Kuroko's face. Expressions were important.

Kuroko gasped for breath when Akashi's fingers had barely rubbed his prostate. So close, that it felt even better than constantly hitting it. In Kuroko's case, he didn't exactly appreciate someone continuously poking his most sensitive spot. "I thought... we.. were already... alright with it," he gasped again, squeezing his eyes shut. "Shit..."

Akashi hummed. Oh, so talking was a good distraction after all. However, Akashi was sure that his own pulsing length in downstairs wasn't going to last long like this. "Are we? Are you sure it's not bothering you?" he asked huskily, adding the third finger after adding some more lube. The redhead saw the discomfort on Kuroko's face, but luckily his face soon became more relaxed.

Kuroko nearly kicked Akashi. "For fuck's sake," he hissed between his teeth, trying his best to glare Akashi. "Is this supposed to make me horny? I would not be here if-"

Akashi ended Kuroko's little debate by sealing his lips against the bluenette's. He hungrily kissed the boy, fingering his hole at the same time, trying to make the muscles loosen a bit more. "I love you," he whispered quietly, dragging his teeth against Kuroko's jawline and neck.

Kuroko exhaled. "You're a bastard," he mumbled quietly, moaning when Akashi withdrew his fingers from the bluenette's hole. He licked his lips as he saw Akashi lubing his own member. Okay, even if Akashi was not much taller than him, he really was making up for it in the downstairs. "That's..."

"Big? I know," Akashi admitted, realizing that this time the size might actually be a problem. He did not want to hurt Kuroko, not at all. This was their first time having sex together and he didn't want it to be something that Kuroko would hate. "Having second thoughts?"

Kuroko swallowed. "Actually, yes. But I want to do it," he murmured, pulling Akashi closer to him. "I trust you," the bluenette whispered against Akashi's lips, feeling the redhead shudder at his words. Trust. It was probably even bigger word than love to Kuroko right now. No, it most definitely was. He had loved Mayuzumi, but had he ever trusted him? Akashi licked his lips and pressed them gently against Kuroko's once again.

Akashi made himself some room between Kuroko's leg, pressing the tip of his dick against Kuroko's entrance. He even luped Kuroko's hole thoroughly one more time. Akashi bent Kuroko's knees a little, so that he could intrude Kuroko's hole a bit better. "You ready?" he asked and after Kuroko had nodded, Akashi started carefully pushing himself inside.

Kuroko immediately recoiled when Akashi had managed to push the tip inside. He noticed Akashi going insanely still, oh boy, Kuroko knew how hard that must be. Going slow was already hard enough for someone who was topping. He held his breath, screwing his eyes shut.

"Does it hurt?" Akashi asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, no," Kuroko managed to whimper quietly. "It doesn't hurt. It's just... I don't know why but-," Kuroko tried to explain the best he could. The last memory of having sex was in that utility room with Mayuzumi and he couldn't easily push that out of his head.

Akashi exhaled slowly, still trying to keep still even though his muscles were straining. "Tetsuya. Open your eyes and look at me. I'm not Mayuzumi," he reminded the bluenette. He couldn't exactly go and reach for the boy now that they were in the middle of penetration. He needed Kuroko to trust him. Akashi watched as Kuroko carefully opened his eyes and stared into the redhead's mismatched ones. "I'm nothing like him."

Kuroko started to relax bit by bit, and Akashi carefully slid his member deeper, all the time keeping a close eye on Kuroko's reactions. The bluenette watched the red fire in front of him, feeling nothing but warmth engulfing his whole being. Akashi leaned down to kiss Kuroko's neck when he had all the way back in the warmth. "You're so warm and tight, I love it so much."

"God, you're so big," Kuroko sighed. He had never been this full before, he was sure. He didn't even remember much about having sex with Aomine. But this, this was something new. Akashi was giving him a lot of time to adjust to the intrusion. After few minutes of wiggling around Kuroko finally nodded. "Okay, you can move now."

Akashi started to carefully thrust into Kuroko. He could see the Kuroko being coated into thin sheen of sweat and he bent down to lick his neck. The redhead could taste saltiness of it. Even though he smelt slightly musky from all the sweat he was collecting, you could still faintly smell the vanilla that had desperately clung to Kuroko's pearly skin.

Kuroko brought Akashi's head closer to his, feeling need to savor those lips once again. Their tongues danced around each other, fighting for dominance, which Akashi was gladly give to Kuroko this time. The redhead's hand traveled to Kuroko's length, pumping him steadily, keeping the pace of his thrusts.

Akashi was about to deepen the kiss even more, until he heard Kuroko cry out from pleasure. He was about to angle his thrusts to hit Kuroko's prostate, but the bluenette quickly stop him. "No, if.. If you keep hitting it'll start to hurt... just keep brushing near it, okay? It feels better," he tried to guide Akashi and suddenly he felt like he was a stupid virgin. Kuroko thought he was about to ruin the mood.

"I'm glad you told me," Akashi murmured into Kuroko's ear, resuming to his gentle thrusts, making sure to brush by the prostate every now and then. "I want to know your body," he whispered, licking the shell of Kuroko's ear. "I want to know what you like and dislike," he continued, thrusting a little bit harder. "I want to know what makes you melt under my touch," Akashi breathed, pumping Kuroko's length a little bit faster.

"Se-Sei-kun," Kuroko rasped out incoherently, trying to meet Akashi half-way his thrusts. He was coming close. "Cl.. Close, oh god, Sei, I'm going to-"

Akashi slammed a little bit harder into Kuroko, making the smaller one see stars as he came. The redhead felt the walls tighten around his manhood and soon he realized that he was coming too. Couple more thrusts later Akashi came inside Kuroko and fell down next to him, not wanting to crush the smaller one under him. Immediately, he became worried whether or not Kuroko had enjoyed as much as he had. "Did... Was it..?"

Kuroko tried to catch his breath. "That... That was the best I have ever had," he whispered, not really believing what had happened. Kuroko then looked down to his stomach and groaned quietly. "I'm too tired to clean up."

Akashi smiled and placed a chaste kiss on Kuroko's lips before getting up from the bed. "I'll help you," he said, walking to the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Not much later Akashi came back with wet towel and he started to clean the semen off from Kuroko's stomach. He made sure to clean Kuroko properly from between his legs also. The redhead threw the towel into hamper, and crawled back to the bed.

Kuroko wiggled around so that he could get them both under the covers. The bluenette pressed himself against the redhead's chest, and buried his face into the Akashi's neck. "About last week..."

"Hmmm?" Akashi hummed, wrapping his arms around Kuroko's small body.

"You said we have to talk about something serious. Would it be a good time to do it?"

Akashi sighed quietly, drawing circles into Kuroko's lower back. "My father wants to meet you. I mean, I used to go to my childhood home every Christmas and now that I am finally out... He wants to have dinner again. On Christmas Day. So, he asked you to come because other way you would be alone."

"And that is serious, how?" Kuroko asked, raising his eyebrows a little.

"My dad can be a handful."

Kuroko snorted. "I think we've been through worse than your dad."

Akashi hummed in wonder. "I guess you are right. Guess what?"

"What?"

"I love you."

Kuroko blushed softly and pinched Akashi's nose. "I love you too," he murmured quietly, staring lovingly into Akashi's eyes. "What about that ride you promised?"

"Okay. I'll make a new one since you got out in the middle of winter. When the summer comes, we're going to have a road trip with my Veilside, which by the way, I have named after you. I will take you anywhere you want to."

"I also want to learn how to drift. It looks cool."

"I will teach you."

Kuroko slipped his eyes closed after Akashi had answered him, basking in the warmth. Just as he was about to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, he heard Akashi's ringtone. He groaned quietly. "Who is it?"

Akashi reached for the phone, looking at the screen. "Teiko Federal Prison."

"You gonna answer?"

"I'm going to tell them I finally got laid."

"It's private, Sei-kun..."

"Is anything private to Daiki and Ryouta?" Akashi snorted and accepted the call. "Hello?"

 

 

**Fin. For now.**

 


End file.
